Chinese films, TV shows boost travel destinations

A screen shot from "Lost in Thailand". [Photo/Mtime]

Inspired by homegrown films and TV shows, more travelers this year plan to explore destinations that had previously not been on Chinese tourists' radar.

According to data released this month by Qyer.com, a Chinese outbound travel website, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Switzerland have emerged as promising overseas destinations for tourists this year.

The website attributes this phenomenon to hit shows and movies featuring the countries.

Released in February, romance movie "Somewhere Only We Know," directed by famous Chinese actress Xu Jinglei, served as an advertisement for the Czech Republic, where the film was shot.

Two travel-reality shows, "Sisters Over Flowers" and "Divas Hit the Road", aired in March and April, respectively.

Both featured well-known Chinese actors backpacking their way through Europe and included Turkey as a destination.

It isn't the first time tourists have looked to TV and movies for travel ideas.

Chinese tourists have flocked to Thailand since late 2012, when Chinese comedy "Lost in Thailand," shot on location in the northern city of Chiang Mai, became a blockbuster in China.

According to statistics from the Thai tourism authority, Thailand welcomed about 4.7 million visitors from China in 2013, jumping 68 percent from 2.7 million in 2012. The 2014 number dropped slightly to 4.5 million.