Advancing Social Sustainability in Film Tourism

Abstract

Film tourism research has produced numerous case studies but little theoretical development. As an example, many film tourism studies report social impacts and further sustainability issues in a trend mirroring the wider tourism literature. This article presents a theoretical approach analyzing the potential and realization of sustainable film tourism. It introduces the notions of social sustainability and discusses its adaptation, concentrating on the case studies of Whale Rider and Lord of the Rings tourism. For this, the study also refers to literature and previous case studies into organizations demonstrating sustainable vision and/or behavior in the contemporary New Zealand film tourism industry. The article argues the need to adapt currently existing frameworks to film tourism theory and practice.