TV shows and multi-million dollar movies can revive even less known destinations by attracting die-hard fans to a particular area. These fans want to see the sets of their favorite shows and movies, sometimes trying to catch a glimpse of the actors and the entertainment business life. Some movies however meant a great boost for local tourism.
“Mamma Mia!” This movie was filmed on a beautiful Greek island, Skopelos. Many people had the idea to go there after watching the film full of stars. Even now, after a couple of years since the movie was released, the island still benefits from the boost in visitors. The mayor of the island of Skopelos told newspapers that the phone kept ringing just after the movie's release. He was very excited with all the people interested in visiting the island. Some feared that the increase in foot traffic would have a detrimental effect on the area and ruin its natural beauty. But the island remains as a wonderful place to visit and vacation, to this day.
“Lord of the Rings” and the “Story of Narnia” No other movie made as big a fuss as the “Lord of the Rings” in New Zealand. It made New Zealand an incredibly hot spot. People would come from all over the world to visit Mordor. And just when you thought everything was going back to normal another major motion picture put New Zealand back in voque – this time it was Narnia. If anyone had questions about visiting this country before, they no longer had any reservations.
Obviously the movies made tourism jump in revenue during their time there in New Zealand, especially the Queenstown area where the "Lord of the Rings" was filmed. It was such a huge hit that even the nearby village of Glenorchy was getting increased foot traffic. To this day, many years later, they still advertise the film's on site locations and tours throughout the area. Some of the locals aren't particularly thrilled with all the tourists. They realize the movies are good for the economy and so try to come to terms with what the movies have brought to them.
Some also realize that with the increase in visitors comes an increase in responsibility. The city has to accommodate the larger amount of people with traffic lights, public servants and care for the city overall. The increase in tourism can definitely benefit the city as a whole. It can create more jobs for the locals, updated fashionable shops and new permanent residents. All this can create valuable revenue for the city.
“Twilight” The blockbuster movie "Twilight" was filmed in the city of Forks, Washington. Much of the first movie of the "Twilight Saga" is filmed there in Forks. The area has seen a thousand percent increase in hotel reservations since the movie's release. The entire area has developed "Twilight Tourism", basing all the tourism on this particular movie series. It's been great for all businesses and since the fan base is teenage kids it has a broad spectrum of possibilities.
Things such as the "Bella Burger" are among fans’ favorites. They can let themselves fall deeply into the movies fantasy storyline and let the story come to life in every part of their visit. They can experience everything from the food to the lodging and everything in between. They can eat, dine and wine at the restaurant where Edward and Bella had their first date. No one can tell what the long-term effects will be on the area and its tourism but according to the locals they're thrilled with the attention for now. They believe that everybody is recognizing that the area is a prominent global location for tourism.
“The Beach” Some locations aren't as lucky as others when it comes to an increase in tourism. "The Paradise Beach" a small island located in Thailand is one of those places. Phi Phi Ley Beach was an absolutely beautiful peaceful paradise-like island that no one ever heard of until the movie created an extreme boost in tourism. Tons of people visited the island and the effects were tremendous. Tourism increased so much that the local environment was considerably damaged. Coral was decimated and overfishing became rampant. Not all tourism can be beneficial if the environment is unprepared.