Audiovisual fiction and tourism promotion: The impact of film and television on the image of tourist destinations and contributions from textual analysis

Abstract

The first studies of film and television as inducers of tourism appeared in the 1990s. In light of the role these media play in tourist decisions, studies of the capacity of audiovisual fiction to project a unique image of tourist attractions and destinations or to influence audience perceptions of them are particularly important. However, ever since research of this kind began, it has suffered from significant theoretical and methodological shortcomings associated mainly with the lack of an interdisciplinary approach. Most of the research has been in the field of tourism and marketing studies, with only a limited number of contributions from film and television studies. The objective of this article is to offer a critical review of studies exploring the relationship between audiovisual fiction and tourist destination image. The aim is to identify their conceptual shortcomings and to point out possible solutions with reference to audiovisual textual theory and analysis. The article begins with the identification of the main areas studied in this research: the effect on the attributes of tourist destinations and on their overall image, stereotypes, and the capacity of audiovisual fiction to vest the locations where their stories are set with different connotations. This is followed by an analysis of studies that exhibit more of an interdisciplinary approach by combining audiovisual studies and tourism studies. The article then addresses the debate over the types of audiovisual productions that researchers argue have the greatest tourism-inducing capacity. Finally, the conclusions point out possible future lines of research based more on explanation than on description, recommending the systematic incorporation of textual analysis into research on film-induced tourism, and particularly on its impact on tourist destination image.