Celebrity Traitors is sending viewers beyond the Round Table and into searches about Scotland. A new report published by The Herald on 29 October says UK interest in two filming-location searches rose by 124% in October 2026 compared with the same period last year.
The figures, attributed to VisitScotland, concern searches for “Where is the Traitors castle?” and “Where is The Traitors filmed?” They offer a different measure of the programme’s reach as its second celebrity series approaches its conclusion: curiosity about the landscape surrounding the game.
What the new Celebrity Traitors search figures show
The Herald’s report and a 28 October article from Travelling for Business both carry the 124% increase. They also describe VisitScotland’s work with travel creator Postcards by Hannah to showcase the Highlands and Moray Speyside.
A rise of 124% means the reported search level was 2.24 times the comparison level. It does not mean that visitor numbers, hotel bookings or tourism spending increased by the same amount. The reports do not provide the underlying number of searches, so the percentage should be read as an indicator of changing interest rather than a headcount.
That distinction matters when a television success becomes a tourism headline. Looking up a castle can be the first step towards a holiday, but it can also be a viewer simply wanting to identify something seen on screen.
Scotland’s screen appeal has a wider evidence base
VisitScotland’s own research page provides useful context. Its Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 found that 19% of leisure overnight visitors cited film, television or literature as a source of inspiration when choosing Scotland.
The same page reports a higher share among European and long-haul visitors: 36% and 37% respectively. Those findings cover many productions and stories, not Celebrity Traitors alone. They should not be presented as a measurement of this particular series’ impact.
VisitScotland also highlights the lasting influence of productions such as Outlander, Harry Potter and Braveheart. The broader point is that screen tourism can outlive a broadcast run, because the connection between a place and a story remains available to later viewers.
Ardross Castle is a setting, not an open visitor attraction
The latest coverage identifies Ardross Castle in the Highlands as the programme’s setting and notes that it is privately owned and not open to the public. VisitScotland’s earlier, explicitly dated November 2025 account makes the same distinction.
That earlier account describes promoting alternative heritage experiences and castle stays while clarifying the filming location’s status. It is background to the current story, rather than the source of the new 2026 search percentage.
For fans, the practical implication is to separate identifying the television location from assuming access to it. An appearance on screen does not turn a private property into a ticketed attraction or establish an official public tour.
Why the interest extends beyond one castle
In its 2026 trends work, VisitScotland describes a wider form of screen-inspired travel in which audiences respond to mystery, history, tradition and culture as well as specific locations. The Traitors is included among its examples.
Editorially, that helps explain why the programme’s outdoor imagery matters. A loch, a forest or a moor can give viewers a sense of place even when they are primarily watching a game of deception. The scenery becomes part of the show’s identity without needing to be another contestant.
The evidence supports a careful conclusion: reported location-search interest has increased, and Scotland already has a documented audience for screen-inspired travel. Whether the latest curiosity produces additional trips will require visitor and booking evidence beyond these search figures.