You’ve heard of jet-setting, the luxurious act of traveling around the world for pleasure.
White sand beaches, top-class restaurants, glorious sightseeing – the lot.
But have you ever heard of set-jetting?
This travel trend is taking off (both literally and figuratively) in recent years, driven by a simple yet powerful desire to experience the magic of movies and TV shows in real life.
From the dramatic cliffs of Game of Thrones in Croatia to the rolling green hills of New Zealand in The Lord of the Rings – travelers are now booking trips inspired by their favorite on-screen moments.
In fact, around 64% of travelers were inspired to visit a destination after seeing it on a television show, news source, or in a film.
But it’s not just holidaymakers who are jumping on this trend. Set-jetting is making its mark on business travel, too.
Employees are extending work trips to explore cinematic locations, event planners are choosing film-famous destinations to boost attendance, and corporate travel managers are rethinking policies to accommodate the shift.
In this article, we’ll explore how set-jetting is mixing up business travel, bleisure trips, and MICE events – giving work trips a little sprinkle of Hollywood magic.
Corporate travel isn’t just about meetings and networking anymore. The destinations themselves are now playing a bigger role in both employee motivation and engagement.
There are a few reasons as to why set-jetting is having an impact on business travel:
Employees want to visit locations they’ve seen on screen.
Whether that’s the futuristic skyline of Singapore (as seen in Crazy Rich Asians) or the picturesque streets of Paris from Emily in Paris – being able to feel like you’re on set is a strong pull for travelers.
If a conference is hosted in a city that’s been dashed with Hollywood appeal, it can be a big deciding factor in attendance.
For example, the Apple TV hit Ted Lasso, saw a big spike in Americans putting Richmond in England (where the show is set) on their ‘must-see’ travel list.
It would make sense that people are far more likely to sign up and travel to somewhere they’ve seen on TV compared to a business park on the outskirts of a city.
Travel managers are incorporating what’s known as ‘aspirational’ locations into employee rewards and incentive programs.
This is with the aim of motivating people by offering them the chance to go and see these silver screen sets in person.
Managing travel policies in the midst of this new trend means balancing people’s preferences with their company’s travel budgets.
This involves:
Bleisure travel – the mixing of traveling for business and pleasure – has been on the rise for years now.
And set-jetting is only amplifying it.
In fact, people are willing to put their money where their mouth is and spend around $2,910 on average to visit a destination featured in a popular movie or show.
Employees who travel for work are increasingly extending their stays – turning corporate trips into opportunities to spend a few days soaking up the culture or the sun in cinematic locations.
With set-jetting influencing bleisure travel, finance teams are having to work hard and tweak their operations to ensure cost efficiency.
Some of the challenges include:
Event planners are now incorporating set-jetting locations into their MICE strategies.
HBO’s The White Lotus has had a big impact on Sicily’s San Domenico Palace, turning it into one of the most sought-after destinations for luxury events.
Hotels featured in the series saw a surge in bookings, people have flooded to the area, and companies are now considering these sorts of iconic venues for high-end corporate retreats – adding a little bit of showbiz dazzle to their events.
MICE professionals need to balance the appeal of set-jetting destinations and the advantages they bring, with the cost and logistics of booking these events.
While these unique locations can drive attendance, they also come with some logistical hurdles:
Strategic partnerships with local vendors and travel agencies can help ease some of these woes, and also set you up for future deals.
With AirPlus’ MICE payment solution suite, event planners can streamline the entire process. In addition, you can also count on our extensive partner network to optimize your MICE payments:
Together, these solutions help businesses control costs, centralize payments, and manage event spending with full transparency. A real lifesaver for set-jetting-inspired MICE events.
So you can achieve a smooth event execution while capitalizing on set-jetting appeal.
It’s clear that set-jetting is influencing business trips, corporate policies, and MICE event planning.
But within this new trend, there are real opportunities for business travel to drive engagement, participation, and help build reputation – with a little help from our friends in Tinseltown.
Want to learn more about the travel trends set to hit 2025? Check out our guide here.
Looking for more great tips on how to improve your corporate travel management? Then subscribe to the AirPlus blog and start streamlining your business travel.
[1] https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/travel/discover/get-inspired/global-travel-trends
[2] https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20241114-how-on-screen-locations-are-becoming-travel-destinations
[5] https://comms.airplus.com/en/bnl/business-travel/holistic/travel-trends-2025