Halle Bailey's 'The Little Mermaid' in Disney's live-action remake of Hans Christian Anderson's fairytale is drawing tourists to unlikely locations. Photo / File
Halle Bailey's 'The Little Mermaid' in Disney's live-action remake of Hans Christian Anderson's fairytale is drawing tourists to unlikely locations. Photo / File
There’s something fishy going on in Sardinia.
Holiday bookings for the already popular summer destination tripled this weekend. Tourism operators and airlines are pointing the finger at the release of Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid which launched on streaming services at the tail end of last month.
Viewers reportedly having seen Halle Bailey’s performance as Ariel are now hooked on the Mediterranean island, where it was filmed.
According to European budget carrier Easyjet, they have seen a 216 per cent increase in searches for the destination.
The carrier said the Disney remake on the Italian island was one of a number of films “fuelling demand for European travel” this summer.
Like the proverbial siren’s song, once again it’s mermaids drawing visitors to their shores.
The film, which was shot between the northern ports of Castelsardo and Aglientu, highlights much of the island’s natural beauty.
According to local paper L’Unione Sarda this was in part due to the Merits of the movie and the a US actress Bailey, but “above all” due to “the beauty of the beaches and the fabulous landscapes of the island.”
Disney gives few directions for where its 1989 and 2023 films are set, beyond “under the sea!” Sardinia is happy to reap the touristic rewards of the live-action remake’s ambiguity.
In Copenhagen meanwhile, not a peep.
Little Disappointing: The 110-year-old Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, is one of Europe's most depressing statues. Photo / 123RF
Icy Denmark - the original setting of Hans Christian Anderson’s 1837 tale of a mermaid who falls in love with a mortal man - was overlooked for sunnier, southern European climes for the film. The statue of The Little Mermaid which has sat in Copenhagen’s harbour since 1913 is regularly dubbed “the most disappointing statue in Europe.”
Sardinia now not only has its own mermaid’s tale but also a statue which is infinitely more interesting than the chilly child on a rock.
In Golfo Aranci, around the coast from where The Little Mermaid was filmed, is an artwork by Pietro Longu - “Il canto della sirena”.
Pietro Longu's Sardinian Mermaid: Il canto della sirena'. Photo / Golfo Aranci Resort
The Siren mermaid is a musical, bronze sculpture that sits below the high tide mark. Twice a day she appears above the water.
“It’s no surprise that our favourite TV shows and movies are influencing our travel choices,” says Easyjet’s Commercial Director Paul Bixby.
Sardinia is top of the box office for holiday escapism but there are a number of other shows and films that have given the airline a boost.
Similarly, the Italian island Sicily has seen an 198 per cent increase in booking interest largely due to the success of The White Lotus which was filmed there last year. In Grenada, which was the backdrop of Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, searches have soared 132 per cent.
