Understanding Film-induced Tourism

Abstract

Certain notions become accepted as "truths" by the general public, regardless of their accuracy, particularly if they are repeated with sufficient regularity by so-called "respected" sources, such as those in the popular media. The field of tourism is often a witness to this phenomenon. Arguably, every journalist goes on a holiday of some sort, hence they are all "experts" and often present anecdotal material as such. This view is particularly the case with the concept of film-induced tourism. One example is the continual insistence by those in the popular press that the movie trilogy The Lord of the Rings has dramatically increased tourism visitation to New Zealand. However, research by Tourism New Zealand, along with the emerging work from academics, does little to support this. Attempting to bring some balance into the media hype that surrounds film-induced tourism, this article outlines the extent of film-induced tourism knowledge and current research in the field. Not only does the article examine tourism to sites depicted in film (movies and television series), but also the film studios themselves, particularly those with conscious tourism activities such as theme parks and bookable site tours.