Travellers trying to track down the best holiday spots are confusing fact with fiction due to the success of blockbuster films, it was revealed today.

People searching the Internet for real-life breaks away have been accessing sites for make-believe places which feature in the latest Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies.

Hogwarts - the school in the Harry Potter films - and the Lord of the Rings’ destinations of Mordor and Rivendell have all featured in searches on the website Yahoo Travel.

According to Yahoo, the latest Lord of the Rings film The Two Towers has sparked much interest in genuine sites in New Zealand as well.

Morgan Williams, travel producer, at yahoo.co.uk

, said: “It is interesting to see the effect that certain films, such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, can have on people’s imagination.

“Personally I’d never want to go to Mordor (the ‘baddies’ stronghold in The Two Towers). The film’s real location, New Zealand, on the other hand, is a truly magical place.”

Currently, the site’s most popular real destinations in order of appearance are:

1. Spain

2. Amsterdam

3. New York

4. Tenerife

5. Paris

6. Thailand

7. New Zealand

8. Dublin

9. Egypt

10. Australia

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