Film tourism illustrates the effects that films as well as other TV productions can have on peoples’ travel decisions. Films motivate people to travel to experience screened destinations firsthand. Film tourism is an effective way to market a destination as well as present opportunities for new products development for instance film museums, location tours as well as exhibition of the existing attractions with film relation. It can also have a strong impact on the tourists’ full experience phase from inspiration to referrals. Tourists will travel to such destinations in search of an additional factor, as well as on location experience that will tell a story about their much loved films as well as the destination. However, very few societies, film clubs or archives take advantages of film tourism. Film tourism can help a destination reap huge financial benefits after the production of the film by just informing people where the film was produced.
Film tourism is growing rapidly across the globe mainly because of the increase in international travels as well as expansion in the entertainment industry. Countries therefore should realize the benefits of film tourism and set the necessary plans to exploit it. Film tourists have an inspiration to travel to the location where their favorite film was produced. To succeed the destinations need to proactively encourage producers as well as studios to film there, create media advertising around the film as well as its location; intensively promote the destination after the film is produced and other marketing campaigns that influence film tourism potential in the region.
Different countries are increasingly promoting film tourism holidays. For instance the United Kingdom series “Last Summer Wine” screened on UK TV resulted to a rise in the number of visitors to the site and the neighboring area. Italy has site tours based on the famous Begnini's film “Life Is Beautiful”. Series are more likely to have a long lasting effect than a movie due to their repetitive nature unless the film is extremely popular. Italy which is home to the Don Camillo series receives over 30,000 film tourist every year.
New Zealand
New Zealand is one of the destinations that are reaping from film tourism especially with the success of the “Lord of the Rings”. The country takes the advantage of amazing landscapes and showcases them to movie lovers across the globe. Numerous shots of tourists pictured vesting the hillside huts of the “Hobbit” set in Matamata. New Zealand attracts over 2.5 million tourists every year thanks to the success of the 'Lord of the Rings' movies. Film tourists flock to New Zealand every year and regard their trips to the destination educational and recreational. According to the tourism ministry the country experienced a rise in the number of international tourists as a result of the popular movies. According to the statistics 72 percent of the visitors had watched the Lord of the Rings movies and at least 75 percent potential visitors who visited the Tourism New Zealand website were aware that the famous movies were filmed in the country.
Thailand
Thailand film locations have played a big role in boosting tourism in the country. Particularly the “Hangover” (2011) movie filmed in Bangkok. A lot of those people who watched the “Hangover” were left with an attractive image of Bangkok motivating them to travel there. The Tourism Authority of Thailand took advantage of the publicity created by the movie and started offering the “Hangover” tour package that include visits to the movie sites like the sky bar, the temple and the Chao Phraya river featured in the movie topped up with a visit to strip clubs also featured. Although initially the images were not well received by many people across the globe, the film tourism in Thailand is growing.
United Kingdom
The “Harry Potter” series has had a huge impact on the United Kingdom's film tourism. Thousands of tourists travel to Britain to see the locations where the blockbuster was filmed. Similarly “Sherlock Holmes” films and tours attract visitors. At the moment the film “Calendar Girls” is being used to promote the wholesomeness and beauty of Yorkshire Dales. For instance the tourism authority has gone further and actually used original “Calendar Girls” in launching the Yorkshire Dales holiday guide. This has led to a rise in the film lovers visiting the Yorkshire for recreational as well as educational purposes.