The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby has taken the nation by a storm! Whether that is down to the super-hot, Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of the mysterious, Jay Gatsby, the elegant costumes or even the beautiful and tragic tale that is unveiled to us – The Great Gatsby has gained a lot of critic attention.

But what has become most significant following the release of the film is that hotel searches for Long Island, and the Blue Mountains area of Sydney has increased by a significant amount. Although the film is set in the fictional towns of West Egg and East Egg, which is supposedly based in Long Island, the public has been going crazy with hotel searches for the place, with Hotels.com confirming searches have risen by an impressive 80%. Likewise with the Blue Mountains area of Sydney, where many of the outdoor scenes were filmed, it has been confirmed by Hotels.com that hotel searches in the area has risen to an impressive 375%.

But why are people now planning to jet off to these areas, just because of a successful film adaptation? Well, it could possibly be down to the public dreaming of that idealistic world represented in the story. When we go on holiday, we wish to escape for a few weeks and these are now becoming popular locations to do so. We can forget about our everyday lives and live the life of millionaire, Jay Gatsby and feel like we have it all.

Sydney’s northern suburb, Manly, where a party scene was set in the film has also gained tourist attraction, with an increase of 50%.

Kate Hopcraft from Hotels.com said, "The Great Gatsby is without doubt one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year and has permeated many aspects of British culture, including fashion, beauty and now our travel habits.  It seems Brits just can't get enough of the film's opulent representation of the Fitzgerald's classic and will do anything to transport themselves back to the Jazz Age of 1920s America."

By Claire Lancaster