Screen Tourism is a ‘major driver’ for travel from New Zealand, with a range of film and TV projects starring UK destinations set to launch next year, says Visit Britain.
Country Manager Australia & New Zealand Kristen Angus says Outlander is set to return in 2026, a show already driving Kiwi travel to Scotland, while the Peaky Blinders movie is set to release in Mar, which filmed in the West Midlands. A new Harry Potter TV show set to launch next year is expected to reignite interest in Devon, Cornwall and Nth Yorkshire, says Visit Britain’s country manager Australia & New Zealand Kristin Angus. 
This year’s film Hamnet based on Shakespeare’s life, will draw interest to Hertfordshire where filming took place. This will compound with the opening of the Shakespeare Museum in London, she adds. In Feb “Wuthering Heights” starring Australia’s Margot Robbie and Jacob Elord is set to debut highlighting Yorkshire, home of the Bronte sisters where the novel inspiring the movie was authored.
Netflix will release season four of Bridgerton which will star Surrey, Bath and London, as well as a new Pride & Prejudice miniseries next year. Angus says these projects are likely to draw travellers who like to be immersed in period pieces, even bringing their own costumes to re-enact scenes and images from these films.
. . . Glasgow 2026
On the sporting front, the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games will be held in Jul. Angus says the city’s West End neighbourhoods have been named the ‘coolest’ neighbourhoods to live across a number of UK publications. Outside of the games visitors can enjoy, the Kelvin Grove Art Museum and Gallery to boutique shopping on Ashton Lane or visiting the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world, the University of Glasgow. It is also an UNESCO City of Music, Scotland’s musical capital, Angus adds.
. . . Winnie the Pooh
In 2026 the UK will celebrate 100 years of Winnie the Pooh, and Angus says there will be a raft of centennial events held in the UK with details to come. Some are expected to occur near Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, home to A.A. Milne and inspiration for the One Hundred Acre Wood.
