The Greek island of Lesbos has long been a magnet for gay women, attracted by the poetry of Sappho, literature’s most famous lesbian, who wrote an ode to the goddess Aphrodite in the 7th century BC.

Now Lesbos has a rival on the sapphic tourism circuit. Halifax in Yorkshire is rapidly becoming a popular destination for lesbians thanks to the BBC/HBO series, Gentleman Jack.

The series tells the true story of Anne Lister, “the first modern lesbian”, who returned to West Yorkshire in 1832 after years of foreign travel and social climbing, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home, Shibden Hall in Halifax.

To do so she had to reopen her coalmines and marry well. But she had no intention of marrying a man or wearing women’s clothes (hence the nickname Jack), and instead exchanged vows with Ann Walker, a wealthy heiress. All the while she documented her exploits in a diary, using a special code to list her female conquests and making a note of those who had given her an orgasm with an “x”.

Lister was little known until the West Yorkshire-born writer Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango In Halifax) decided to bring her story to the screen. It was an immediate hit, particularly with lesbians – Lister Sisters, the fans call themselves – who have flocked to Halifax from as far afield as Australia since the series premiered in May.

Local businesses have been quick to cash in on Gentleman Jack mania: you can buy Gentleman Jack journals, complete with a key to Lister’s code, Gentleman Jack earrings, Gentleman Jack cocktails and enamel badges in the shape of a thermometer – a tribute to a scene where Lister insists on taking an enormous thermometer on holiday with an ex-girlfriend.

A painting of Anne Lister. Photograph: The History Collection / Alamy

The journals are made by a Halifax-based graphic designer, Danielle Palfreeman, who has made new friends via the Gentleman Jack fans Facebook page. “Lister Sisters have become a global community, with residents of Halifax welcoming their American friends and taking them to tea,” she said. “Gentleman Jack shows the exhilaration, loneliness and mental turmoil women still face today – but it also gives us hope.”

Palfreeman has met up with Lister Sisters from around the world and often receives a knowing smile from other fans when she wears a gondola-shaped badge – the equivalent of a club tie for Lister Sisters, inspired by the pin given from Lister to Walker as a sign of their love.

Joseph Farrar, the general manager at Holdsworth House hotel in Halifax, said bookings were up more than 20%, largely driven by LGBT guests.

Getting a room in the town could be tricky these days, said Brighton-based Jennifer Grant, who runs Diva Destinations, which offers lesbian group holidays and cruises. In October she ran two sold-out Gentleman Jack holidays, which drew Anne Lister groupies from New York and Belgium as well as around the UK.

Next April she is hosting the Anne Lister birthday weekend for 1,000 superfans, which includes a Q&A with Wainwright as well as a trip to York to see where Lister and Walker took communion after exchanging rings in their “marriage” at Holy Trinity church.

“You can’t underestimate how huge Gentleman Jack has been for the lesbian community. The story of Anne Lister is incredible, and the issues she faced as a gay woman in the 19th century are the same that many of us still face today. Her strength and resilience is so inspiring,” said Grant, who admitted she had only vaguely heard of Lister before Gentleman Jack.

Helena Whitbread, who decoded Lister’s diaries, has become an icon for the Lister Sisters. Tickets to see her at the birthday weekend sold out faster than Glastonbury, according to Palfreeman.

Anne Lister’s historic family home, Shibden Hall, has had to extend its opening hours to meet a huge increase in demand. In August last year 2,579 people visited the 15th-century building. In the same month this year 14,419 came, according to Calderdale council, which runs the site.

Cultural Destinations, an Arts Council England-funded project, has also reported a big increase in lesbian tourists. Meanwhile, Bankfield Museum in Halifax has extended its Gentleman Jack exhibition because of the unprecedented number of visitors.

Other BBC dramas have also proved good news for tourism. In Cornwall, 13% of people cited Poldark as a reason for visiting. Birmingham received a record 42.8 million tourists last year, many keen to see where Peaky Blinders was set.