The Uniqueness of Film Tourism

Tourism can be related with Media resources such as Film. The study of film -included tourism is complex and it is industry based sector. Motivation is the key element to visit a destination. Films can motivate people visit destinations which are screened on-location or off-location. Films can attract people interests visually and it helps them to have the opportunity to explore the new destinations. Film tourism is a growing worldwide. In the Tourist Gaze, Urry suggests that tourists seek environments and experiences that contrast non-tourism areas. Urry (1990 p3) argues that " places are chosen to be gazed upon because there is an anticipation, especially through daydreaming and fantasy, of intense pleasures, either on a different scale or involving different senses from those customarily encountered ". He also says that this expectation is created through a range of non-tourist traditions, for example; "film, TV, literature, magazines, records and videos" (Urry: 1990 p3). These media based options can create and strengthen the gaze.

It is necessary to point out that authenticity is something original that can be represented only in extraneous places which are undamaged and untouched by people. Tourists, as explained by MacCannell ( in Urry,1990), are "contemporary pilgrims on a quest for authenticity, and this pursuit is a modern version of the universal human concern with the sacred" (Urry:1990, p.8). A modern tourist represents only the superficial experience that is ready made for masses so, the author talks about reaching deeper into the host societies and stepping into the back region of the country visited which is the only right way of learning about authenticity (Urry:1990). Otherwise, the so-called staged-authenticity is the only experience mass tourists can get while exploring different cultures. The concept of spirituality is also very important in tourism for authenticity. The nature- based intangible experiences could include deep personal morals and this can give the feeling of some sense of special attachment to a place.


Authenticity can help a destination or attraction be successful in making it a likely destination which can encourage tourist believe it is real not fake. "Whether such a reproduction is seen in a positive or negative light depends on how it is presented and interpreted; if the tourist is made aware that it is an imitation, and that it is provided as part of the effort to preserve the original"(Weaver:2000 p152). A clear obsession of tourism research has been the question of how best to characterise tourists' experiences as they travel and encounter places, people, environments and cultures. Attractions are arguably the most important component in the tourism system. ". Roesch (2009) points out that the definitions of both terms "Film tourism" and " Film-induced tourism" refer to tourists who decide to travel to a place that they have previously seen on screen. In his book, in order not to confuse explanations the term "film tourism" is used as a general term to encompass the noting of "film locations tourism". According to Konigsberg (1997:220 in Roesch: 2009 p8), "film location is used for any place rather than the studio where a film is in part or completely shot". This means, a place where a film scene was produced in a real physical setting other than a studio. Film tourism has different elements by the type of location described in the film. Roesch (2009) mentions that, the film locations are tourist locations before filming commenced or the destinations are turned into tourist attractions in their own right because of their introduction in the film. Roesch( 2009 p11) states in his book that film location tourists may possibly visit the locations that have nothing to do with actual filming. He explains that in the film "The English Patient(1996), travellers are consuming the desert of Egypt without having to see the exact camera locations. "It is the experience of being there that enables visitors to simulate the feel and atmosphere of the film in connection with the landscape" (Roesch: 2009 p12). "It has been well documented as given that numerous elements motivate people to become tourists and to select particular destination and activities" (Beeton:2005 p26).

Watching films and especially locations where the films are filmed can influence people behaviours. Films like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter were successful books before they were adapted to the screen (Beeton 2005). By the review of Boland and Willams (2008), the phenomenon has become particularly widespread in the UK and Ireland. The Harry Potter films have been a hugely successful example for Britain. The release of the first film 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' (2001) created, according to Grihault (2003 in Poland and Williams 2008), 'Potter Mania' around the globe and a subsequent boost in tourist interest in Britain as a result.

Film tourism plays a possibly increasing role in helping to form people's image of a place. Authenticity is an element in film tourism and film tourism locations to take advantage of tourists and especially lovers of certain films like Harry Potter. The authenticity and hyperreality that are represented in films have the chance to increase the interest and motive for people to visit the destinations. As afore mentioned, push and pull factors in films can motivate tourists to visit certain locations. The number of tourists is increasing every day and countries can use this as an opportunity to develop their tourism strategies.

Reference list
• BBC News (2007), Film locations boost UK tourism, [Accessed 24 April 2010](online), http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6964375.stm

• Beeton, S. (2005), Film-Induced Tourism, Clevedon : Channel View

• Bolan, P and Williams, L (2008) The role of image in service promotion: focusing on the influence of film on consumer choice within tourism.International Journal of Consumer Studies 32 (2008) 382-390

• Buchmann, A, Moore, K. and Fisher D. (2010) EXPERIENCING FILM TOURISM: Authenticity & Fellowship Annals of Tourism Research Volume 37, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 229-248 [Accessed on 23 April 2010] (online) <www,sciencedirect.com>

• Macionis, N (2004) Understanding the Film-Induced Tourist. In Frost, Warwick, Croy, Glen and Beeton, Sue (editors). International Tourism and Media Conference Proceedings. 24th-26th November 2004. Melbourne: Tourism Research Unit, Monash University. 86-97. [ Accessed on 25 April 2010] (online) http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/units/tru/conferences/itam04/macionis.pdf


• Mintel, Film Tourism - International - October 2003, [Accessed 24 April 2010]. <http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic//display/&id=24489>

• Roesch, S (2009) The experiences of Film Location Tourists [Accessed 25 April 2010] (online)<book.google.com >.

• Sharpley, R (1999) Tourism, Tourists and Society, 2nd Edition, Huntingdon: ELM Publications

• Swarbrooke, J. (2002) The Development and Management of Visitor Attractions, 2nd edition, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Urry, J.(1990) The Tourist gaze : leisure and travel in contemporary societies . - London : Sage,

• Weaver, D. andOppermann, M. (2000) Tourism Management,Brisbane : John Wiley & Sons Australia

I chose to comment your paper as I found the topic very interesting. In addition, I have also written essays about authenticity and how authenticity and tourism are linked together. As you are dealing, not just with movies and films, but also with authenticity I found your paper even more appealing to me and the fact that you have made similar comments and used same authors than I have in my essays, I found it easy to choose your paper to comment.

I agree with you when you say that motivation is a key element to visit a destination and that films can motivate people to visit destinations. It is clear that films can act as motivators when it comes to choosing destinations. Hudson and Ritchie (2006) are presenting this well in their journal, where they have made a list of movies and what kind of impact they had in visitor numbers, according to them, a year after the release of Braveheart, Wallace monument in Scotland faced an increase of 300% in visitors. This is only one example of many but it shows how well films can motivate people to visit film related destinations.

You are writing about how tourists are contemporary pilgrims on a quest for authenticity and I support this claim as I have done research about this for my own works and found out that Michael Pretes (1995) agrees as well with the idea of tourists being contemporary pilgrims and adds that tourists often try to see the authentic product that's underneath the staged authenticity. However, Urry (1990) argues that rather than looking for authenticity, tourists are looking for differences between home and work life. He also argues that fake can often seem more real than the real. Such a statement could probably apply in film tourism as films are often fictional rather than based on reality.

It would have been nice to see some numbers and figures, or even estimates for that matter, of film tourism. Although you do make it clear that film tourism is growing world wide, it is very difficult to create a picture of how big phenomenon we are talking about here, based on the information you've given in your paper. It would have also been nice if you would have talked a little bit about different types and forms of film tourism and what kind of problems may occur with such tourism. However, I am pleased to see that you have used numerous different sources and you clearly have knowledge of what you have written about.


Your paper is very interesting, has some good points and is well constructed. It is clear that not everything can be included in 800 words but you have managed to include surprisingly lot. You have justified your arguments and used many different sources to support these arguments. However, it could have been useful to include some figures in your paper but apart from that, I find your paper very interesting and well written.


References:

Hudson S, Brent Ritchie J R, (2006), Promoting Destinations via Film Tourism: An Empirical Identification of Supporting Marketing Initiatives, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 44, pp 387-396

Pretes M, (1995), Postmodern Tourism: The Santa Claus Industry, Annals of Toursm Research, Vol. 22, 1, pp 1-15

Urry J, (1990), The Tourist Gaze, London, Sage Publications Ltd