Streaming TV is growing rapidly and is expected to become the second most popular media format by 2027. DMOs can use its power to promote tourism and brand destinations through a unique perspective of filmmaking and storytelling
The emerging power of streaming TV is all around us. With the touch of our remotes we are transported into the world of comedy, tragedy and drama. But what if DMOs can use that power to transport audiences beyond the fictional realm? With video streaming growing in popularity and expected to become the second most popular media format by 2027, streaming TV can be a powerful tool for driving tourism and helping destinations brand themselves, offering a unique perspective through filmmaking and storytelling.
Streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ have increasingly become pivotal in destination marketing by showcasing locations and experiences to global audiences. For example, Amazon Prime partnered with Booking.com to market their film, The Idea of You, by creating a map of all the locations the film's characters visited. This example shows how a film can be marketed in combination with tourism promotion. However, destinations have mostly found success in partnering with or leveraging content from Netflix. Therefore, raising the question of why Netflix specifically?
Netflix has 282.7 million global subscribers (as of January 2025), with audiences spending an average of 13.6 hours per week streaming content. The platform offers great exposure for destinations, as content produced in partnership with it reaches diverse international audiences. Beyond its global reach, Netflix offers destinations the opportunity to apply a framework that invests time in truly understanding the art of storytelling and how it can be used to promote a destination. The platform also allows destinations to target specific demographics through its genre-based categorisation. For example, adventure tourism can be highlighted in action-packed shows, while cultural experiences can be promoted through documentaries or period dramas.
Platforms like Netflix inspire DMOs to think about the ways streaming content can be used to create an emotional connection between viewers and a destination. The use of storytelling is the perfect way to emotionally engage potential visitors because it recognises shared human experiences. This results in the audience becoming drawn into a destination's narrative, which inspires them to visit. This phenomenon is known as set-jetting. Through this, on-screen locations become travel destinations. Although, most of the time, the reality of the location is different to how it's portrayed on-screen, increasing numbers of travellers are seeking more experiences like this after becoming emotionally connected to a show.
For example, after the success of the series All the Light We Cannot See, the town council of Villefranche-de-Rouergue in the South of France, where the series was filmed, created specific brochures advertising the filming of the series in its streets, in order to turn viewers into visitors, with an estimation that the series will contribute €2 million from the month-long filming. Recognising the broad appeal of streaming TV, Atout France embarked on a joint campaign with Netflix, Voyage En France, to promote tourism to the country. Highlighting all the French filming locations for Netflix series, this guide enables travellers to follow in the footsteps of their favourite characters with dedicated travel diaries, an interactive map and even a personalised notebook for creating customised itineraries.
Streaming platforms can also effectively showcase a destination's unique culture and attractions. As an early adopter in leveraging this emerging content format, Turespaña jointly launched a short film contest with Netflix, which invited aspiring filmmakers to showcase their storytelling techniques, while visually portraying Spain's beauty and culture. The Australian Netflix drama series Territory also takes viewers on an incredible journey, with visually compelling footage and landscape shots of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park and the Northern Territory’s iconic Litchfield National Park and Berry Springs. Seeing the series at the top of global Netflix charts and with a 70% increase in searches for the destination, Tourism Northern Territory took advantage of the set-jetting phenomenon and immediately composed a marketing campaign called 'Territory-for Real', which aims to convert interest into intention to travel to the locations featured, highlighting themed travel packages provided by tour operators.
With identifying the right opportunities key to tapping into set-jetting, actively searching for data on popular series provides the necessary insights for shaping appropriate marketing strategies for different source markets. Nonetheless, one question remains unanswered: with new shows constantly emerging and quickly being replaced by others, can streaming content replicate the success of film tourism? Iconic films like The Lord of the Rings, which have stood the test of time, continue to attract tourists — even from new generations who discover the movies.
If Netflix sees value in partnering with destinations, what is preventing DMOs from doing the same and launching their own streaming services? Considering the challenge of creating something that has long-term success, investing in a streaming channel can allow destinations to have the creative freedom to use storytelling in shaping their brand identity. For example, Brand USA introduced GoUSA TV, highlighting travel stories about destinations in the US through prioritising storytelling and high-quality cinematography. This content revolves around an entertaining narrative that appeals to international audiences and shines a light on the authenticity and unique identity of each location's cultural offer, such as sports, music, traditions and food. Streamed in 50 countries through various channels including LG, Samsung TV Plus, ITVX, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV and Plex, Brand USA has embarked on an approach to building partnerships to bring their content directly to audiences by embedding it in mainstream channels. By launching their own streaming service, destinations can not only shine a light on interesting places, but also create content with long-term value, avoiding the constant cycle of shows losing viewers' attention as newer content takes the spotlight.
An example is Visit Myrtle Beach and their show Chef Swap at the Beach, in which host Chef Mason Zeglen takes two local chefs and swaps them into each other’s kitchens. The premise of the show is that the chefs have no clue where they are going or what type of dish they will be cooking. They are allowed to take only one ingredient with them and have 60 minutes to create a dish. The show aims to highlight the culinary talents of local chefs in the area known as The Grand Strand. Through Beach Easy Media, a media and content initiative created by the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the destination is working towards becoming a leader in the production of branded entertainment in destination marketing.
With their goals, Myrtle Beach is clearly becoming a destination that sees the benefits of using storytelling and TV streaming services to promote itself. Visit Myrtle Beach is also doing what all destinations should strive for by highlighting how travel can be more inclusive. Through their six-part documentary series Traveling the Spectrum, which recently premiered on Peacock, Visit Myrtle Beach showcases three families with members on the autism spectrum, who have never travelled, as they explore Myrtle Beach. In the trailer, Visit Myrtle Beach shows its dedication to being sensory-friendly and how striving for such a standard can change the lives of many families who are unable to travel due to the challenges they face from the stigma of autism. Stepping out of their comfort zone, these families can not only go through traumatic experiences but are also limited in their choices of attractions, accommodations and restaurants.
The effort Visit Myrtle Beach is applying to shape the destination's brand identity through storytelling and streaming content raises an important point about what the ethical considerations are when marketing a destination. With long-form projects created for streaming services, DMOs should not just promote their destination but also actively give back to their community. However, this also poses a question about the levels of investment that will be required from DMOs to produce their own content for this format. Having dedicated a significant amount of time to searching for a platform to broadcast Traveling the Spectrum to a wider audience, including asking for pledges of support from potential viewers, shows the challenges in maximising exposure with owned streaming content. If DMOs invest in producing their own streaming content they will be required to spend a lot of time and resources identifying what should be streamed and where and also present a compelling case forecasting viewership demand to potential partners. This could result in delayed releases of content and missing potential opportunities, while constant fluctuations in subscription numbers have significant implications for selecting the right distribution partner.
While producing content for streaming services requires a wholehearted investment from DMOs in this emerging format, YouTube remains a highly influential channel. With its ability to combine visuals, immersive storytelling and dynamic content, YouTube has become an invaluable tool for destination marketing through engaging travel vlogs, virtual tours and behind-the-scenes views. Visit Seoul has taken an innovative approach to video storytelling on the platform by branding its content around current cultural trends. Through its YouTube channel, Visit Seoul TV, the destination is marketing the city by targeting Gen Z in three current cultural trends: Gen Z themselves, AI and the power of K-pop (a Korean music genre).
In their video titled ‘Gen Z’s Guide to Dongdaemun’, the hosts Subin and Oliviane share cultural experiences while exploring Dongdaemun. By eating traditional Korean food on camera and designing keychains in a market, they appeal to a Gen Z audience, which has immersed itself in exploring new crafts and hobbies, as popularised by current trends on TikTok. This type of content engages audiences, beyond just promoting the visual appeal of a destination, by showcasing that you can explore new cultures and languages, while still doing the activities you enjoy. After all, what could be better than knowing you can practise your hobby in the heart of Seoul, while exploring the Korean language and food? Streaming content on YouTube can inspire DMOs to consider ways they can produce interactive content to enhance viewer engagement and raise awareness of the often undiscovered locations featured. The platform also helps to visualise a typical AI-generated trip itinerary and why visitors need to combine this with independent research to get the most out of their travel experiences.
Visit Seoul is also leveraging YouTube’s storytelling format to connect with millions of K-pop fans through its campaign featuring BTS band member Jin. In the three-part series, [Seoul & Jin of BTS] Feel Soul Good, Jin narrates and guides the audience through the themes that Seoul embodies. In episode one, Jin discusses Seoul as a city of love, highlighting romantic spots like Seoul Tower, where couples can lock a padlock together and the Seoul International Fireworks Festival. As Jin puts it, "Every corner brims with love". In episode two, Visit Seoul emphasises South Korea as a destination for unique and inspiring experiences, such as hiking at Bugaksan Mountain. Finally, in episode three, the focus shifts to Seoul as a place of fun, with K-pop dance experiences and activities along the Hangang River. This campaign showcases the role influencers and local celebrities play in promoting destinations through streaming content.
While Visit Seoul is focused on promoting Seoul as the city of love, inspiration and fun through tapping into cultural trends in combination with everything the city has to offer, Visit Korea emphasises products, locations and venues. In a video exploring Busan with a language student and her mother from Germany, Visit Korea makes a subtle promotion of their tourist guide and how visitors are using it to explore Busan. Another example is the 2024 Korea Unique Venue (KUV), The Exclusive Place to Meet campaign, which showcases 52 unique Korean event venues. Having received 49 million views in a month, it placed Visit Korea in the top 100 YouTube travel channels, showing a clear demand for this sort of informative content, even within the MICE sector.
YouTube travel content reaches people of all ages. Statistics suggest that 50% of subscribers interested in travel channels are aged between 25 and 64, while 38% fit in the age range of 18 to 24. Data from Google even suggests that the latter demographic prefers content that feels more authentic, whereas the former is interested in a broader range of content, such as information and tips. This raises the question of how different demographics respond to streaming content and how DMOs can produce content that resonates among different audiences.
Immersive storytelling can also translate into experience development. For example, in partnership with BBC Studios, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) launched its biggest tourism campaign in a decade called Queensland is Bluey’s world – for real life. This campaign used the show's global reach to promote the opening of Bluey's World, a family-focused experience that builds on Bluey's popularity. By focusing the campaign on the show's core values of family connections and how they mirror the true meaning of being from Queensland, it attracts families who want a fun experience to share together. Inspiring fans of the show, this new attraction is expected to receive over 200,000 visitors in its first year and inject AU$18 million into the economy, with visitors highly likely to explore the state further. TEQ also has a special article on their website outlining the real-life locations from the show.
Overall, streaming services offer plenty of opportunities for DMOs to amplify storytelling as a tool to create long-lasting and impactful campaigns that capitalise on trends like set-jetting. However, careful consideration is needed when deciding how streaming services are used, the ways they target audiences and which platforms are selected, in order to ensure long-term campaign success.
DTTT Take:
The emerging power of streaming TV is all around us. With the touch of our remotes we are transported into the world of comedy, tragedy and drama. But what if DMOs can use that power to transport audiences beyond the fictional realm? With video streaming growing in popularity and expected to become the second most popular media format by 2027, streaming TV can be a powerful tool for driving tourism and helping destinations brand themselves, offering a unique perspective through filmmaking and storytelling.
Streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ have increasingly become pivotal in destination marketing by showcasing locations and experiences to global audiences. For example, Amazon Prime partnered with Booking.com to market their film, The Idea of You, by creating a map of all the locations the film's characters visited. This example shows how a film can be marketed in combination with tourism promotion. However, destinations have mostly found success in partnering with or leveraging content from Netflix. Therefore, raising the question of why Netflix specifically?
Netflix has 282.7 million global subscribers (as of January 2025), with audiences spending an average of 13.6 hours per week streaming content. The platform offers great exposure for destinations, as content produced in partnership with it reaches diverse international audiences. Beyond its global reach, Netflix offers destinations the opportunity to apply a framework that invests time in truly understanding the art of storytelling and how it can be used to promote a destination. The platform also allows destinations to target specific demographics through its genre-based categorisation. For example, adventure tourism can be highlighted in action-packed shows, while cultural experiences can be promoted through documentaries or period dramas.
Platforms like Netflix inspire DMOs to think about the ways streaming content can be used to create an emotional connection between viewers and a destination. The use of storytelling is the perfect way to emotionally engage potential visitors because it recognises shared human experiences. This results in the audience becoming drawn into a destination's narrative, which inspires them to visit. This phenomenon is known as set-jetting. Through this, on-screen locations become travel destinations. Although, most of the time, the reality of the location is different to how it's portrayed on-screen, increasing numbers of travellers are seeking more experiences like this after becoming emotionally connected to a show.
For example, after the success of the series All the Light We Cannot See, the town council of Villefranche-de-Rouergue in the South of France, where the series was filmed, created specific brochures advertising the filming of the series in its streets, in order to turn viewers into visitors, with an estimation that the series will contribute €2 million from the month-long filming. Recognising the broad appeal of streaming TV, Atout France embarked on a joint campaign with Netflix, Voyage En France, to promote tourism to the country. Highlighting all the French filming locations for Netflix series, this guide enables travellers to follow in the footsteps of their favourite characters with dedicated travel diaries, an interactive map and even a personalised notebook for creating customised itineraries.
Streaming platforms can also effectively showcase a destination's unique culture and attractions. As an early adopter in leveraging this emerging content format, Turespaña jointly launched a short film contest with Netflix, which invited aspiring filmmakers to showcase their storytelling techniques, while visually portraying Spain's beauty and culture. The Australian Netflix drama series Territory also takes viewers on an incredible journey, with visually compelling footage and landscape shots of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park and the Northern Territory’s iconic Litchfield National Park and Berry Springs. Seeing the series at the top of global Netflix charts and with a 70% increase in searches for the destination, Tourism Northern Territory took advantage of the set-jetting phenomenon and immediately composed a marketing campaign called 'Territory-for Real', which aims to convert interest into intention to travel to the locations featured, highlighting themed travel packages provided by tour operators.
With identifying the right opportunities key to tapping into set-jetting, actively searching for data on popular series provides the necessary insights for shaping appropriate marketing strategies for different source markets. Nonetheless, one question remains unanswered: with new shows constantly emerging and quickly being replaced by others, can streaming content replicate the success of film tourism? Iconic films like The Lord of the Rings, which have stood the test of time, continue to attract tourists — even from new generations who discover the movies.
If Netflix sees value in partnering with destinations, what is preventing DMOs from doing the same and launching their own streaming services? Considering the challenge of creating something that has long-term success, investing in a streaming channel can allow destinations to have the creative freedom to use storytelling in shaping their brand identity. For example, Brand USA introduced GoUSA TV, highlighting travel stories about destinations in the US through prioritising storytelling and high-quality cinematography. This content revolves around an entertaining narrative that appeals to international audiences and shines a light on the authenticity and unique identity of each location's cultural offer, such as sports, music, traditions and food. Streamed in 50 countries through various channels including LG, Samsung TV Plus, ITVX, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV and Plex, Brand USA has embarked on an approach to building partnerships to bring their content directly to audiences by embedding it in mainstream channels. By launching their own streaming service, destinations can not only shine a light on interesting places, but also create content with long-term value, avoiding the constant cycle of shows losing viewers' attention as newer content takes the spotlight.
An example is Visit Myrtle Beach and their show Chef Swap at the Beach, in which host Chef Mason Zeglen takes two local chefs and swaps them into each other’s kitchens. The premise of the show is that the chefs have no clue where they are going or what type of dish they will be cooking. They are allowed to take only one ingredient with them and have 60 minutes to create a dish. The show aims to highlight the culinary talents of local chefs in the area known as The Grand Strand. Through Beach Easy Media, a media and content initiative created by the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the destination is working towards becoming a leader in the production of branded entertainment in destination marketing.
With their goals, Myrtle Beach is clearly becoming a destination that sees the benefits of using storytelling and TV streaming services to promote itself. Visit Myrtle Beach is also doing what all destinations should strive for by highlighting how travel can be more inclusive. Through their six-part documentary series Traveling the Spectrum, which recently premiered on Peacock, Visit Myrtle Beach showcases three families with members on the autism spectrum, who have never travelled, as they explore Myrtle Beach. In the trailer, Visit Myrtle Beach shows its dedication to being sensory-friendly and how striving for such a standard can change the lives of many families who are unable to travel due to the challenges they face from the stigma of autism. Stepping out of their comfort zone, these families can not only go through traumatic experiences but are also limited in their choices of attractions, accommodations and restaurants.
The effort Visit Myrtle Beach is applying to shape the destination's brand identity through storytelling and streaming content raises an important point about what the ethical considerations are when marketing a destination. With long-form projects created for streaming services, DMOs should not just promote their destination but also actively give back to their community. However, this also poses a question about the levels of investment that will be required from DMOs to produce their own content for this format. Having dedicated a significant amount of time to searching for a platform to broadcast Traveling the Spectrum to a wider audience, including asking for pledges of support from potential viewers, shows the challenges in maximising exposure with owned streaming content. If DMOs invest in producing their own streaming content they will be required to spend a lot of time and resources identifying what should be streamed and where and also present a compelling case forecasting viewership demand to potential partners. This could result in delayed releases of content and missing potential opportunities, while constant fluctuations in subscription numbers have significant implications for selecting the right distribution partner.
While producing content for streaming services requires a wholehearted investment from DMOs in this emerging format, YouTube remains a highly influential channel. With its ability to combine visuals, immersive storytelling and dynamic content, YouTube has become an invaluable tool for destination marketing through engaging travel vlogs, virtual tours and behind-the-scenes views. Visit Seoul has taken an innovative approach to video storytelling on the platform by branding its content around current cultural trends. Through its YouTube channel, Visit Seoul TV, the destination is marketing the city by targeting Gen Z in three current cultural trends: Gen Z themselves, AI and the power of K-pop (a Korean music genre).
In their video titled ‘Gen Z’s Guide to Dongdaemun’, the hosts Subin and Oliviane share cultural experiences while exploring Dongdaemun. By eating traditional Korean food on camera and designing keychains in a market, they appeal to a Gen Z audience, which has immersed itself in exploring new crafts and hobbies, as popularised by current trends on TikTok. This type of content engages audiences, beyond just promoting the visual appeal of a destination, by showcasing that you can explore new cultures and languages, while still doing the activities you enjoy. After all, what could be better than knowing you can practise your hobby in the heart of Seoul, while exploring the Korean language and food? Streaming content on YouTube can inspire DMOs to consider ways they can produce interactive content to enhance viewer engagement and raise awareness of the often undiscovered locations featured. The platform also helps to visualise a typical AI-generated trip itinerary and why visitors need to combine this with independent research to get the most out of their travel experiences.
Visit Seoul is also leveraging YouTube’s storytelling format to connect with millions of K-pop fans through its campaign featuring BTS band member Jin. In the three-part series, [Seoul & Jin of BTS] Feel Soul Good, Jin narrates and guides the audience through the themes that Seoul embodies. In episode one, Jin discusses Seoul as a city of love, highlighting romantic spots like Seoul Tower, where couples can lock a padlock together and the Seoul International Fireworks Festival. As Jin puts it, "Every corner brims with love". In episode two, Visit Seoul emphasises South Korea as a destination for unique and inspiring experiences, such as hiking at Bugaksan Mountain. Finally, in episode three, the focus shifts to Seoul as a place of fun, with K-pop dance experiences and activities along the Hangang River. This campaign showcases the role influencers and local celebrities play in promoting destinations through streaming content.
While Visit Seoul is focused on promoting Seoul as the city of love, inspiration and fun through tapping into cultural trends in combination with everything the city has to offer, Visit Korea emphasises products, locations and venues. In a video exploring Busan with a language student and her mother from Germany, Visit Korea makes a subtle promotion of their tourist guide and how visitors are using it to explore Busan. Another example is the 2024 Korea Unique Venue (KUV), The Exclusive Place to Meet campaign, which showcases 52 unique Korean event venues. Having received 49 million views in a month, it placed Visit Korea in the top 100 YouTube travel channels, showing a clear demand for this sort of informative content, even within the MICE sector.
YouTube travel content reaches people of all ages. Statistics suggest that 50% of subscribers interested in travel channels are aged between 25 and 64, while 38% fit in the age range of 18 to 24. Data from Google even suggests that the latter demographic prefers content that feels more authentic, whereas the former is interested in a broader range of content, such as information and tips. This raises the question of how different demographics respond to streaming content and how DMOs can produce content that resonates among different audiences.
Immersive storytelling can also translate into experience development. For example, in partnership with BBC Studios, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) launched its biggest tourism campaign in a decade called Queensland is Bluey’s world – for real life. This campaign used the show's global reach to promote the opening of Bluey's World, a family-focused experience that builds on Bluey's popularity. By focusing the campaign on the show's core values of family connections and how they mirror the true meaning of being from Queensland, it attracts families who want a fun experience to share together. Inspiring fans of the show, this new attraction is expected to receive over 200,000 visitors in its first year and inject AU$18 million into the economy, with visitors highly likely to explore the state further. TEQ also has a special article on their website outlining the real-life locations from the show.
Overall, streaming services offer plenty of opportunities for DMOs to amplify storytelling as a tool to create long-lasting and impactful campaigns that capitalise on trends like set-jetting. However, careful consideration is needed when deciding how streaming services are used, the ways they target audiences and which platforms are selected, in order to ensure long-term campaign success.
DTTT Take:
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