![Tuscany has topped a list of places people have booked a holiday to, based on a book (Image: SWNS)](/upload/news/2024/03/05/169848.jpg)
Corfu, Paris, and Rome are among the top destinations Brits have booked a holiday to – after being inspired by a book, according to research.
The likes of Gerald Durrell's Corfu Trilogy, and “My Family and Other Animals”, as well as “The Durrells of Corfu”, by Michael Haag, have prompted holidaymakers to book a trip to the Greek island.
And those who have got lost in the pages of Victor Hugo's “Les Misérables”, or “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, have been eager to visit Paris, to experience the setting for themselves.
Meanwhile, Venice was also a popular choice, thanks to tales such as “Death in Venice” by Thomas Mann, or Shakespeare's “The Merchant of Venice”.
But Frances Mayes topped the list, with her 1996 memoir “Under the Tuscan Sun” prompting Brits to travel to Tuscany, in central Italy.
The survey of 2,000 adults found a quarter of those polled have travelled to a location mentioned in a novel. And 35% have been influenced by TV shows – with Iceland, Spain, and Italy among the top countries to visit after seeing them on screen.
A spokesman for Jet2holidays, which commissioned the research to celebrate World Book Day this Thursday, said: “A lot of holiday inspiration naturally comes from watching films or TV shows.
“But we were surprised to see how many have had the urge to travel somewhere based on a book they have read – which has no visual representation of the country or city it is set in.
“Sometimes it’s difficult deciding on where to go for your next trip – so it’s nice knowing that books aren’t just good for unwinding and enjoying some much-needed downtime, but also for holiday help, too.”
Reasons for visiting a place they read about in a novel include wanting to see what it looked like in real life (46%), learning more about the area (32%), and to tick it off their bucket list (15%).
And 62% of those who have made a trip were pleasantly surprised to find their book-inspired destination was better than expected.
Once there, half explored landmarks or attractions which were mentioned in the novel, while 25% stayed in accommodation featured in the non-fiction tale.
And 27% even signed up to a professional guided tour of some of the destinations they read about, according to the OnePoll.com data.
It also emerged those who have enjoyed a holiday after reading about it in a book have made an average of three novel-related trips – with 15% booking their travels the day after they had finished reading the story. And 17% have a list of five places, on average, that they’d like to visit in the future, based on finished novels.
The spokesman for Jet2holidays added: “This World Book Day, we hope this research has inspired people to visit their local bookshop, and purchase a novel which could well be the setting for their next holiday.
“There are so many beautiful places to visit in the world, which makes it hard to narrow down, so hopefully this has given the nation some motivation to start thinking about where they might travel to next – and they may possibly have a book to thank.”
TOP 30 BOOKS WHICH HAVE MOST INSPIRED PEOPLE TO TRAVEL: