ABSTRACT
Film (including movies, TV series, documentaries and reality TV) is an international phenomenon that attracts interest and passion from viewers of varied cultural backgrounds. In order to enhance their enjoyment of the film, many viewers make trips to the locations used in non-fictional films, dramas or documentaries and those used to portray or produce fictional places or actual events (Riley and van Doren 1992; Beeton 2005). Film studios visits and tours have become popular in LosAngeles. Disney, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers, as major transnational corporations (TNCs), use their tours and theme-parks to cross-promote their wide portfolio of commercial interests. In NewYork,
themed tours cater for the fans of HBO’s hit shows such as The Sopranos and Sex and the City while in the United Kingdom the rural Yorkshire community of Goathland has become a very well-visited destination because of its association with the long-standing TV show Heartbeat (Mordue 1999; Beeton 2005). Guidebooks to film locations offer devoted fans pointers to the major locations, while sites on the Internet such as the International Movie Database (https://www.imdb.com/movies) not only detail which locations were used in a movie, but also which other films and series they have featured in. In a more exceptional case, a tourist attraction has been the stimulus for highly successful film franchise. Pirates of the Caribbean was originally based on a Disney theme park ride (Verrier 2002). Film tourism is on the rise and destination marketing organisations at various geographical scales have started to recognise the importance of film to the tourism economy (Beeton 2005). Particular locations are being actively branded as film tourism destinations. For instance, in recent times, New Zealand has attempted to cash in on the popularity of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Jones and Smith 2005). Other more subtle associations are evident. In many countries, local and national tourism organisations are linking with their film commissions to create ‘film friendly’ destinations for potential film makers. In several instances, this relationship is formally represented in international trade missions to overseas markets. Film producers are considered to be desirable as high spending visitors in their own right. After all, during their temporary sojourns away, film production teams require accommodation and hospitality, not to mention the use of other amenities and services in the local economy. Afterwards, they may become important destination ambassadors who, through word-of-mouth as one means, may attract future investors and visitors. Nevertheless, for all the apparent benefits, there can also be negative consequences for destinations that the marketing hyperbole often conveniently overlooks. Visitation may increase, but who precisely is attracted, when, for how long and what are their expectations? Other issues such as community resentment and the modification of local labour markets, employment and business structures may also result (Beeton 2005). Goathland once serviced 200,000 visitors a year attracted by the natural environment of the North Yorks Moors; with the advent of film tourism the small rural community is now visited by up to a million people a year, not always staying overnight or spending in the destination (Beeton 2005). The purpose of this chapter is to explore the relations between tourism and international business in the form of film and TV production companies. The chapter opens by conceptualising the links between locations and destinations, before considering how the transformation of locations into destinations can be planned or managed. Partnerships, in particular through international trade missions as well as film festivals and award ceremonies, are highlighted as one particular mode by which locations may be manufactured as film tourism destinations. Positive outcomes do not always exclusively accompany this process of codification. Often the popularity of particular locations leads to mass visitation that challenges the sustainability of the very environments visitors desire to see. Traditional approaches ascribe the ultimate responsibility for managing the impacts of tourism to those (planners, politicians and producers) in the destination, not least because they are perceived to benefit most from the activity on their doorsteps. Here, an alternative approach is proposed. Consideration is given to how the potential negative consequences of film tourism may be mitigated through the CSR of the film and TV production companies.
