The phenomenon of screen tourism or visiting film and television locations by fans of the shows, has been changing the world for some time. Popular destinations of the show are waiting for a flood of tourists in 2026, according to the recently released Screen Tourism Forecast Index.
Draconic castle Dragonstone from the popular series Game of Thrones has been transformed from a local landmark to a key tourist destination. The number of visitors to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the real copy of Dragonstone, has reached 415,000 people per year. The same series has significantly impacted the popularity of Dubrovnik as a tourist destination, also attracting fans of the series Crash Landing on You. The village of Iseltwald in Switzerland became famous as the location of the series and the number of visitors increased significantly. The popularity of the place was also enhanced by the release of each subsequent season of the series The White Lotus, which has been filmed in Taormina, Sicily, as well as other locations in Sicily and Thailand.
Rising Stars and Upcoming Trends
With so many shows being released on different screens every week, it has become difficult to keep track of what is going to be the next big hit and where it will be filmed. The Screen Tourism Forecast Index 2026 aims to help in choosing the most promising direction for further visits. An indicator called the Screen Tourism Forecast Score (STFS) was developed for this, which summarizes information about future projects on a scale of 0 to 100. The index takes into account four criteria:
- Content momentum: this includes such indicators as the reach of a movie or TV show and its overall impact on the public;
- Location iconicity: the strength of the association between the screen image and the real location;
- Reception capacity: the ability of the location to withstand the influx of tourists, including the development of necessary infrastructure and availability of air travel and accommodation;
The forecast indicates that the most popular destination in 2026 will be South Korea, which is predicted to experience a surge in demand due to both the continued popularity of Korean cinema and the highly anticipated release of the second season of All of Us Are Dead in late 2026 or early 2027. Taking second place, Spain is also expected to see an increase in visitors due to the release of House of the Dragon Season 3, which is set to exceed the visitor numbers seen after the fifth season of Game of Thrones. The number of visitors to Osuna, for instance, rose by 70% per year after its appearance in Game of Thrones Season 5.
Top 10 Most Influential Film and TV Destinations
This rating includes the 10 most popular travel destinations influenced by various media hits, as determined by the Screen Tourism Forecast Index:
- South Korea – All of Us Are Dead Season 2
- Spain – House of the Dragon Season 3
- Ireland – Wednesday Season 2
- Thailand – Jurassic World Rebirth
- Greece – The Odyssey (July 17 theatrical release)
- Sicily – The Odyssey
- Glasgow – Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- South Africa – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- Yemen – Dune: Prophecy Season 2
- Czech Republic – Blade Runner 2099
The popularity of both Greece and Sicily is linked to the adaptation of The Odyssey, while other entries have been influenced by the highly anticipated release of major motion pictures.
