Searches for stays in Scottish castles have risen sharply on Airbnb since the debut of the second season of BBC murder mystery game show The Traitors. Jenny Southan reports
With season two of The Traitors now airing across the UK, viewers are lusting after the show’s setting – Ardross Castle, a beautiful 19th-century castle in the Scottish Highlands. (You can’t rent this one on Airbnb but you can hire it for weddings.)
Subscribers to Globetrender’s VOLT newsletter will know we coined the term “Limelight Locations” to describe the way TV shows and movies are inspiring travel to the places that feature within them.
There are many examples but Airbnb is the latest company to observe this behaviour in action, as searches for stays in the platform’s Castles Category have recently spiked in tandem with the screening of murder mystery reality show The Traitors.
To help fans turn fantasy into reality, Airbnb has revealed the most wishlisted Scottish castles for a Traitors-inspired break. According to the BBC, by February 2023, season one of The Traitors had been viewed over 34 million times on BBC iPlayer.
Airbnb’s most wishlisted Scottish castles:
Scone Palace, Perth and Kinross
The Mansion House, Clackmannanshire
St. Benedict’s Abbey, Highlands
Thornton Castle, Aberdeenshire
The “Limelight Locations” trend is backed up by research commissioned by Airbnb, which reveals that two in five (40 per cent) Brits say British TV shows have encouraged them to visit more of the UK than they had previously.
Amanda Cupples, general manager for the UK and Northern Europe at Airbnb, says: “Airbnb Hosts open up their doors to some of the most incredible spaces in the UK, including breathtaking settings – such as our most wishlisted Scottish castle stays.
“With The Traitors the TV show on everybody’s lips, our range of stunning castle stays can transport guests to their very own Traitors-esque sanctum. Bring your wildest imaginations to life, with a screen-worthy castle get-away – suitable for both traitors and faithfuls.”