Types of film tourism and movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are almost of the same number. Visitors flock to Universal Studios for themed rides or New Zealand to walk the forests and mountains where The Lord of the Rings was filmed.
Travellers might also feel motivated to take a trip to a place purely for its significance as a film site, like the fans of The Vampire Diaries do when they visit the town of Covington, Georgia in the US, which played the part of Mystic Falls.
Other types include nostalgic film tourism, celebrity film tourism, events, international film festivals, film conventions among others. There are also constructed attractions, studio tours, guided tours, theme parks and armchair travel, reality shows, museum exhibitions and video games based on real destinations.
Film tourism is not something new and comes from a long history of popular culture influencing travel choice.
In the UK, the film industry contributes £6bn to the economy, if spin-off benefits such as tourism are considered. In India, the contribution is $6.2bn while in SA the value is R5.5bn.
Tags: film tourism
