The travel trend known as “set-jetting” — visiting real-life locations featured in movies and TV shows — continues to grow worldwide. Yet while fans chase cinematic magic, local residents and urban infrastructure are often left struggling to cope with the crowds.

Now, Dublin is the latest city at risk of becoming a victim of film tourism. The Irish capital, already facing pressure from overtourism and a housing shortage, has seen a 551% increase in travel interest since the release of Netflix’s hit series “House of Guinness.”

The show, which tells the true story of the Guinness family and the founding of their iconic brewery, prominently features landmarks such as the St. James’s Gate Brewery and the Guinness Storehouse. As a result, city officials and tourism experts are preparing for a surge of visitors eager to walk in the footsteps of the show’s characters — and to enjoy a pint at its source.

However, travelers should be warned that Dublin ranks among the world’s most difficult cities to navigate by car. Recent studies place it fifth globally for driving complexity, with heavy congestion across the city.

Home to 2.1 million residents, Dublin welcomes around 6.6 million international visitors each year, ranking tenth globally among the world’s most congested cities according to TomTom data. Traffic levels reach 47%, with drivers losing an average of 155 hours annually in gridlock. A 10-kilometer trip through the city can take nearly 33 minutes on average.

With the success of “House of Guinness,” experts say the city could experience an even greater tourist influx — prompting calls for smarter crowd management and sustainable tourism planning before Dublin’s film fame becomes a burden.

Source: DailyMail