"Set-jetting" taking off, says expert

Growing numbers of travellers are following the trend for holidaying in the locations of their favourite films, according to one expert.

Dubbed "set-jetting", the phenomenon first rose to prominence when Britons flocked to Koh Tao in Thailand to follow in the footsteps of the stars of The Beach, Tom Griffiths of gapyear.com said.

Now increasingly numbers of holidaymakers are visiting locations such as New Zealand (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Madagascar (the opening of Casino Royale), he stated.

Explaining the appeal of New Zealand, Mr Griffiths commented: "In New Zealand you can do everything from heading out on the glaciers, to seeing the wine valleys, to Queenstown, which is the adventure capital of the world.

"You can also go whale watching; there's literally everything and anything to do in a place like New Zealand."

Other popular destinations among gap year travellers include South Korea, particularly Seoul, and Japan, he added.

According to a report from Mintel, the number of travellers taking a gap year is set to increase to two million a year by 2010.

• Australian town picks up hat-trick of awards
• Holidaymakers 'to save money by tipping less'
• Phelps heads from Beijing to Algarve
• Montreal ranked top of world Monopoly game
• Major New Zealand tourism campaign to launch in UK
• Thai Airways unveils new Kuala Lumpur lounge
• Demand for euros 'stays strong'
• Some 2m to flee wet weather this weekend
• Long-haul destinations 'becoming more interesting to Brits'
• Florida 'to begin welcoming tourists today'