The Set-Jetting Economy Behind The White Lotus And Emily In Paris

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, the formidable Sylvie Grateau in Emily in Paris, arrives in Cannes. As the series expands beyond the capital, the French Riviera becomes more than a backdrop, it becomes part of the destination story audiences will soon want to experience for themselves.(Photo by Edward Berthelot/GC Images)

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The White Lotus, Emily in Paris and the Billion-Dollar Business of Set-Jetting

If you think HBO and Netflix have chosen the French Riviera just because it looks beautiful on camera, you’re looking at the wrong balance sheet.

Two of the world’s biggest streaming series, The White Lotus and Emily in Paris, are relocating major storylines to Cannes, Monaco and the Côte d’Azur at precisely the moment the region has completed one of Europe’s most successful luxury tourism transformations. That isn’t coincidence. It’s commerce.

Streaming platforms have quietly become some of the world’s most influential tourism boards, capable of shifting visitor demand, extending hotel seasons and generating millions in high-value tourism spend without a single traditional advertising campaign.

Hospitality has a name for it: set-jetting and economics are impossible to ignore.

When The White Lotus filmed its second season at the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily, the hotel experienced a reported 70% increase in bookings almost immediately. The industry even coined its own phrase “The White Lotus Effect.” What began as television quickly became one of luxury hospitality’s most powerful marketing tools, driving affluent travellers to book not simply a destination, but the lifestyle they had watched unfold on screen.

Emily in Paris has produced a similar phenomenon. Tourism research suggests that around 10% of international visitors travelling to France now cite film and television as a primary motivation for their trip, while more than 35% of those influenced by screen content specifically reference Emily in Paris.

For destination marketers, those figures represent something far more valuable than publicity. They represent demand.

Season four of The White Lotus leaves behind tropical resorts and relocates its social satire to the organised chaos of the Cannes Film Festival. The story unfolds over a single week, using celebrity culture, red carpets, filmmaker rivalries and the collision between wealth, status and ambition as the backdrop for Mike White’s next chapter.

The production itself reflects that ambition. The legendary Hôtel Martinez on the Croisette becomes the fictional White Lotus Cannes, while the magnificent Airelles Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez serves as the White Lotus du Cap. Production also stretches into Monaco and Paris, placing some of Europe’s most prestigious luxury destinations directly into one of television’s most commercially successful franchises.

Emily in Paris is making a remarkably similar move.

Its final season takes Emily Cooper beyond Paris and into Monaco, Nice and the wider Riviera, using the Monaco Grand Prix, Mediterranean coastline and southern France’s unmistakable glamour as a bridge towards the series finale. Casting calls have actively sought stylish local extras throughout the Alpes-Maritimes, reinforcing the Riviera not simply as scenery but as a character within the story itself.

The Glorious Riviera

The French Riviera has spent more than a century building associations with elegance, exclusivity, cinema, fashion and international influence. Streaming platforms inherit that equity instantly, while simultaneously reinforcing it for the next generation of affluent travellers and the relationship is mutually beneficial.

The Cannes Film Festival already contributes an estimated $229 million to the local economy during its twelve-day run each May. Yet major streaming productions transform that short burst of international attention into something much more valuable: year-round aspiration.

For the region’s luxury hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, yacht charters and designer boutiques, that matters enormously. A television series remains available globally for years, continually introducing new audiences to destinations long after filming has finished. Unlike a conventional tourism campaign, there is no defined end date- it is a destination marketing campaign with extraordinary longevity.

Return To Resplendence

The Riviera isn’t simply enjoying a post-pandemic recovery; it is experiencing a fundamental repositioning.

In 2023, demand for luxury accommodation surged by more than 31%, dramatically outperforming the wider hospitality market as high-net-worth travellers returned to private aviation, fine dining and premium experiences. Nice Airport re-established itself among Europe’s busiest private jet hubs, underlining the region’s growing appeal to affluent international visitors.

Then came 2024.

While Paris prepared for the Olympic Games, many luxury travellers deliberately chose to avoid the capital’s inevitable congestion, redirecting holidays towards the South of France instead. Cannes capitalised once again, strengthening its reputation as one of the world’s leading destinations for festivals, international events and premium leisure travel.

By 2025, the Riviera wasn’t simply recovering from the pandemic. It was setting entirely new benchmarks.

The region recorded almost 13 million overnight stays, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) climbed by a further 7% to 9% on top of already elevated levels. Nice achieved an annual hotel occupancy of around 75%, rising to more than 91% during the summer season, while the airport welcomed over 15 million passengers. International demand accelerated too, with arrivals from the Middle East increasing by 21% and Chinese visitors growing by 30%.

In 2026, the strategy has become increasingly clear. Rather than chasing ever-higher visitor numbers, the region is pursuing value over volume. Booking.com continues to rank Nice among France’s most sought-after destinations, while Côte d’Azur France Tourisme has focused on extending demand beyond the traditional summer peak.

The Expedia Set-Jetting Index continues to demonstrate the commercial impact of screen tourism around the world. Canada’s Muskoka region saw travel searches surge by more than 110% following Heated Rivalry. Yorkshire experienced a 60% increase in travel interest driven by productions including Wuthering Heights and the enduring appeal of Downton Abbey. Koh Samui has experienced a significant luxury travel uplift following The White Lotus Season Three, while Sicily’s smaller islands are benefiting from initial reaction surrounding Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.

What makes its position unique is that it already possesses the infrastructure luxury travellers expect. Palace hotels charging more than €1,000 per night, Michelin-starred restaurants, designer boutiques, super-yachts and internationally recognised events already exist. Streaming simply amplifies what has taken generations to build.

Increasingly, countries, cities and hotel groups are competing for cultural relevance as much as they compete for visitors. Being written into the right story has become as valuable as securing the right advertising campaign.

Be Part of the Action

Stay at Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes

Directly opposite the Palais des Festivals, Le Majestic is where Cannes feels closest to the action. During the Film Festival, you’re not simply staying in the city – you have a front-row seat to the world’s biggest stage for cinema, celebrity and dealmaking. It’s the perfect place to understand why Cannes continues to attract both filmmakers and global luxury brands.

The hotel’s latest addition, Beefbar Cannes, perfectly reflects the Riviera’s continued evolution. One of the world’s most recognisable luxury dining brands, Beefbar has brought its signature blend of exceptional Wagyu, Black Angus and Mediterranean flavours to the Croisette, creating a destination as much for deal-making and people-watching as dining. During the Cannes Film Festival, it’s the kind of restaurant where the business of cinema continues long after the red carpet has rolled away, making Le Majestic not just a place to stay, but a place to experience the Riviera’s next chapter.

Shop at Fragonard

Skip the predictable luxury logos and head instead to one of the South of France’s most enduring brands. Founded in nearby Grasse, the world’s perfume capital, Fragonard captures the craftsmanship and heritage of Provence and the Côte d’Azur. It’s a reminder that the Riviera’s luxury story began long before designer boutiques arrived on the Croisette.

Play at La Guérite

The journey is part of the experience. Reach La Guérite by boat to the Île Sainte-Marguerite, where long Mediterranean lunches, fresh seafood and spectacular views make it one of the Riviera’s defining dining experiences. It’s exactly the kind of place that turns visitors into storytellers—and perhaps the perfect illustration of why experiences, not advertising, are becoming tourism’s most valuable currency.