Could the Jurassic Coast become Britain's new gay getaway after Ammonite release?

The Jurassic Coast will become Britain’s gay getaway thanks to Kate Winslet’s new lesbian drama Ammonite, according to travel experts.

Winslet stars in the film as 19th-century fossil hunter Mary Anning, who is given a fictionalised same-sex relationship with geologist Charlotte Murchison, played by Saoirse Ronan.

The film’s setting on the Dorset coast where Anning became famous for uncovering dinosaur remains will become an LGBT tourist hotspot due to this on-screen romance, travel agents have predicted.

This follows what has been has been called the “Gentleman Jack Effect”, which saw tourism to the Halifax location of the BBC drama about lesbian diarist Anne Lister rise 40% after its release in 2019.

Specialist lesbian travel agency Diva Destinations is projecting a similar surge in bookings for the Dorset coast from same-sex couples seeking a staycation.

Company founder Jennifer Grant told The Daily Telegraph: “Ammonite will draw the LGBTQ community to the area, especially the lesbian community.

“You only have to look at what Gentleman Jack has done to increase in tourism to Halifax.”

Darren Burn, founder of same-sex travel agents Outof Office.com, added: "LGBT representation on screen is improving all the time. We fully expect to see demand increase for trips to destinations featured in films.

"There are precedents for this happening before. In terms of Ammonite, the Jurassic Coast is one of Britain's most beautiful destinations and the representation of a female couple on screen will only increase its allure and popularity.”

Sites like the Lyme Regis Museum built on the site of Anning’s home could experience the same interest Gentleman Jack setting Shibden Hall, which recorded a 300% rise in visitors in 2019.

Travel agents Sashay Away Travel said they had already received 25% increase in inquiries about the Dorset coast following initial screenings of Ammonite in September 2020

Managing director Adam Silgram-Franks said: “Movies and television have always had a profound influence on travel and tourism. Ammonite is with no exception.”

Anning’s sexuality is a subject of debate, and there is little evidence of her personal life being left behind before her death in 1847, and some of her family’s descendants have disputed her portrayal as a lesbian