Yorkshire dales tops the travel wish-list for TV watchers
Yorkshire is the top UK travel destination for British TV viewers according to a leading train company - with one in five (22%) interested in visiting the region after being inspired by popular TV soap Emmerdale.
The survey of more than 2,400 adults, conducted by CrossCountry found that nearly two in five (39%) have visited a particular destination after being influenced by a film or TV programme and 38% have done so within the last year.
It's not just screenspiration that's pulling in tourists, the classic novel Wuthering Heights has already inspired a quarter (24%) to visit Yorkshire.
Other top picks include Dorset - the set of ITV's Broadchurch - as one in five (19%) list the scenery of the BAFTA award winning drama as the place they'd most like to visit. Dorset is closely followed by Oxfordshire (the home of Downtown Abbey) for one in eight (14%).
But it's not just the latest primetime dramas that are inspiring travel. The golden oldies are still making waves with 13% having travelled as far as Scotland after watching the BBC classic, Monarch of the Glen.
Anecdotally, TV favourites Doc Martin set in Cornwall, Last of the Summer Wine set in Holmfirth in West Yorkshire and Heartbeat set in Gothland, North Yorkshire are some of the other places people have been compelled to visit.
Commenting on the findings Dave Eaton, Senior Customer Service Manager for CrossCountry said: "It's great that people are taking inspiration from popular culture to explore more of Great Britain. Reading about a place in a book or seeing it on TV can open our eyes to new destinations and recent programmes such as Poldark and Broadchurch have really showcased how much the beautiful British countryside has to offer.
"Travelling by train is the perfect way to see some of the spectacular landscapes across Great Britain. You can take in the views whilst en route to your destination and maybe even see locations from the TV programme or read the novel you have been influenced by at the same time!"
Yorkshire may be the place that most people aspire to visit but it seems that the people who live there are also the most inspired; over half (51%) would like to visit a destination they've seen on the small screen, compared to 29% of people in the North West.
Dave Eaton added: "Interestingly and contrary to popular opinion some of the places that scored lowly were Essex and Newcastle which have been made famous thanks to reality TV programmes The Only Way is Essex and Geordie Shore, but it seems people are opting for idyllic scenery over celebrity hot spots."
The survey also revealed that despite being inspired by the small screen, as many as one in 10 (12%) have yet to plan a visit to their desired destination. But with CrossCountry serving more than 100 stations across Great Britain each day, hopping on board a train could be the perfect opportunity to explore some great places.
Notes to editors
The research was conducted by CrossCountry and Censuswide on a sample of 2,453 UK adults between 3-10 March 2015.
The CrossCountry network is the most extensive passenger rail franchise in Britain. Stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance, Bournemouth to Manchester and from Stansted to Cardiff, it calls at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of the Britain's 10 largest cities and delivers 295 services every weekday, equating to some 33 million passenger journeys a year.
For further information on CrossCountry services visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or follow them online via Twitter at @crosscountryuk, Facebook.com/crosscountrytrains and their student Facebook page, Facebook.com/studentraildeals.
CrossCountry bookings
Passengers can buy tickets for any rail journey in Britain, with any train company and with no booking fee at crosscountrytrains.co.uk or via the free CrossCountry Train Tickets app.
Download the app by visiting your app store or by texting TRAVEL to 87080.
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