'Black Panther' fans are trying to book hotels in Wakanda

Hotel-booking sites are reporting a strange phenomenon since the release of Marvel Studios' new superhero film, Black Panther. Searches are up for hotels in "Wakanda" - the fictional African country where the movie's action takes place.

The UK's Daily Mail quotes two booking websites - hotelscan.com and hotels.com - as saying they've seen a dramatic rise in searches for the imaginary destination.

That's great news at least for a water park in Wisconsin, US. Called Wakanda, it has enjoyed a whopping 620% surge in clicks on its page compared to last year.

WATCH | The trailer for Black Panther

Real-world places whose names sound similar are enjoying a similar boost.

Hits on the towns of Wauconda and Makonda, both in Illinois, US, are up 25% and 40% respectively from last year.

Further afield, Wakaya, in Fiji, is up over 235% and Wakkanai in Japan is enjoying a more than 55% rise.

Isabelle Pinson of hotels.com is quoted as saying: "Our hotel portfolio spans more than 200 counties and territories around the world but not yet Wakanda. We're looking into it."