NEW YORK, Oct 1 — George Clooney’s high-profile, star-studded wedding to Amal Alamuddin has proven to be a PR boon for the city of Venice, with interest in the Italian destination spiking significantly among American travelers.

That’s according to the number crunchers over at Trivago.com, one of the largest online hotel search sites in the world.

For example, international media coverage of the celebrity wedding succeeded in driving up searches for Venetian hotels 20 per cent over one week, between Monday September 22 and Monday September 29 when the couple wed in a civil ceremony.

Searches were for stays in October and November.

Between September 22 and September 29, overall US interest to Venice also grew 15 per cent compared to the week previous among Trivago users.

But as the site points out, Venice is one of Europe’s most expensive destinations, with the average hotel room costing US$258 a night in October.

Clooney and Alamuddin split the wedding festivities over two iconic Venetian properties, the Belmond Hotel Cipriani and the Aman Canal Grande Venice. — AFP-Relaxnews