Jennifer Axness
Singapore, Tuesday, 21 July 2026 – New data from Amadeus Travel Intelligence revealed that international air arrivals to Hangzhou — the gateway to the historical drama Pursuit of Jade (逐玉) principal filming locations — is up 9% year on year, with Southeast Asian markets leading the surge.
When the drama premiered worldwide in March, it climbed streaming charts across Asia and beyond — debuting at No. 6 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 non-English chart with 34 million hours viewed in its first full week, reaching the Top 10 in ten markets across Asia and reportedly one of the first Chinese dramas ever to appear on a Netflix chart. New air travel data from Amadeus suggests audiences may not be stopping at the screen.
International air arrivals to Hangzhou (HGH) — the closest major international gateway to Hengdian World Studios, where much of the series was filmed, as well as to the West Lake locations featured on screen — are up 9% year on year, with leisure travel accounting for 95% of all demand. Growth is strongest from markets where the series performed well. In particular, arrivals from Vietnam are up 516% year on year, the UAE up 57%, Malaysia up 56% and Singapore up 48%.
While no single factor can be isolated as the cause — route capacity, visa policies and Hangzhou’s established appeal potentially all play a part — the pattern seems consistent with the global “set-jetting” trend, in which hit shows convert viewers into visitors.
At a glance:
The set-jetting effect
Set-jetting, also known as screen inspired travel has become a recognizable pillar in global tourism. Amadeus Travel Trends 2026 report identifies “Pop Culting” — travel driven by entertainment intellectual property, from hit series to music fandoms — as one of six trends set to redefine how the world travels, noting that cultural intellectual property has become a travel worthy commodity in its own right. The report points to Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, whose 300 million views spawned themed tour packages across South Korea and to Bridgerton, forecast to boost Bath’s local economy by £5 million a year. When a story captures a global audience, its filming locations increasingly follow it onto the itinerary.
Pursuit of Jade’s filming footprint centres on Zhejiang province: Hengdian World Studios in Dongyang — the world’s largest film studio complex — hosted the production’s palace and court scenes, while Hangzhou’s West Lake provided lakeside and street settings. Both sit within the catchment of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.
By tracking how events and cultural phenomena influence travel demand, destinations and hotels can potentially better understand what is driving visitation, identify growth opportunities and make more informed decisions.
Long-Haul Momentum: USA and UK interest builds from a smaller base
Long-haul markets show early momentum. Beyond Asian markets driving the bulk of demand, long-haul interest in Hangzhou is building from a smaller base. Searches for flights to Hangzhou from the United States rose by 29% year on year between March and June 2026 (vs the same period in 2025), with arrivals up 22%. In the United Kingdom, searches climbed 23% and arrivals rose 21%. Neither market ranks among Hangzhou’s largest sources of international travellers — but search growth outpacing arrival growth in both markets suggests interest that is still converting, a pattern possibly consistent with awareness-driven demand from newer audiences.
“What stands out in the data is the shape of the demand, not just the headline growth. Travel to Hangzhou is being driven almost entirely by leisure travellers, with the strongest gains coming from markets across Southeast Asia, while in long-haul markets like the US and UK, searches are running ahead of arrivals— typically a sign of new interest still converting into trips. We can’t attribute demand to any single cause, but this appears to be the pattern that emerges when a destination captures the popular imagination and screen tourism is a way that possibly happens” said Bing Han Kee, Regional Vice President, Travel Intelligence, Hospitality, Asia Pacific, Amadeus.
A second signal from Ningbo
Xiangshan Film & Television Town in Ningbo — where the series’ battle and city-wall sequences were shot — shows a softer overall picture, with international arrivals to Ningbo (NGB) broadly flat year on year. Within that, however, Taiwan serves as the largest source market, accounting for 37% of arrivals and recording 9% year on year growth. Meanwhile, Singapore, another key market driving Hangzhou’s growth, also recorded a 27% year on year growth.
Notes to editors
Air data figures are drawn from Amadeus Arrivals & Stays, part of Amadeus Travel Intelligence, comparing March–June 2026 with the same period in 2025. Figures reflect correlation in travel demand and are not attributed to any single cause. Pursuit of Jade (逐玉) premiered 6 March 2026 on Tencent Video, iQIYI and Netflix.
Photo by David Veksler on Unsplash.
