The popularity of the Netflix series "Stranger Things" isn't only making company execs happy. The setting of the fantasy series has piqued the interest of fans who want to visit Hawkins, the town located in Indiana, USA where the action takes place. Except that this town is fictional. But namesake towns in the US states of Texas, Wisconsin and Georgia are taking advantage of this tourism trend.
The phenomenon is nothing new. TV shows have a noticeable influence on our purchases: series-related merchandise, clothing worn by characters on screen and even vacation destinations. And "Stranger Things" is scoring in all these areas. After bringing a song from the 1980s back to the charts, the hit Netflix series has also boosted searches on hotel booking site Hotels.com. According to their data, the site saw a 12% increase* in searches for the city of Hawkinsville, Georgia, when the fourth season launched on May 27.
The fictional town of Hawkins, the show's main setting, is apparently inspiring fans to indulge their curiosity and look up the location. Back in 2019, after the launch of the third season of "Stranger Things," Hotels.com noted a 73% increase** for the town of Hawkins in Texas. However, the booking site could not confirm an increase in bookings and prices following the success of the show and the sharp rise in searches.
"Stranger Things" is far from being the first series to help boost tourism in certain cities around the globe. "Game of Thrones," "Emily in Paris," and even "La Casa de Papel" ('Money Heist") and "Lupin" are all shows whose filming locations have increased the popularity of cities and regions by putting landscapes in the spotlight on screen. In 2019, 80 million travelers had chosen a destination in connection with a film or TV series, according to a study by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conducted with the Netflix platform. A figure that doubled compared to 2014.
Another study outlined the top trending filming locations on social networks. Not surprisingly, "Stranger Things" came in first place.
Methodology: Searches conducted on Hotels.com for the destination of Hawkinsville, Georgia between February 27, 2022 and May 27, 2022 (before the launch of season 4) vs the same period in 2021.
***earches conducted on Hotels.com for the destination Hawkins, Texas between April 5, 2019-July 3, 2019 (before the launch of season 3) vs July 4, 2019-October 1, 2019 (post-launch).*
