20 / FILM TOURISM
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OPPORTUNITIES IN
FILM TOURISM
Musawenkosi Gebuza speaks to major South African stakeholders to find out if and where opportunities exist to capitalise on film tourism in the region.
Black Sails was shot in South Africa predominantly at Cape Town Film Studios © Starz Entertainment
F
ilm tourism is recognised as one of the drivers for the development and growth of international tourism industries for a number of destinations. Film-induced tourism comes in many shapes and forms, from studio and locations that fans can visit, to exploring the various places made famous by any particular film or television production. Film tourism is a growing phenomenon worldwide, fuelled by both the growth of the entertainment industry and the increase in international travel. Marketing opportunities are generated when the film is being premiered and distributed as well as during each release window. Additional businesses and services can be created through film tourism that, in turn, can encourage the extension and strengthening of the visitor season.
NEW ZEALAND: A SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL CASE
New Zealand, after the launch of The Lord of the Rings in 2001, the country’s tourism industry has shown impressive growth. The release of the Tolkien trilogy and subsequent films have made New Zealand a place to be thanks to the incredible vistas found in each film instalment. Tourism New Zealand has itself stated that, “research shows us that film can influence travel choices.” New Zealand now has its own fully-fledged set of organisations – Tourism New Zealand, the New Zealand Film Commission and Film New Zealand. All of these bodies actively work to promote New Zealand as a travel destination for fans of films made there, including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Piano, to name just a few. Another great and growing example is Ireland, which has
recently capitalised on hosting the majority of the production of Game of Thrones in country. As revealed in their behindthe-scenes documentary on the show, film tours of the region and sets used have created new income options for extras and other film industry service providers who have worked on the GOT set.
CREATE TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES BY ATTRACTING MORE PRODUCTIONS
Tourism is a milestone for job creation and economic stimulation, a big boost for many hot spots due to the influence of pop culture and luxurious lifestyle filtered through movies and TV shows that bring forgotten and unknown corners of the world to the attention of the media-consuming masses. And tourism boards are increasingly using the passion
of fandoms to promote their countries and regions. South Africa has thousands of beautiful, and diverse locations with vast potential. Lisa Mini, Wesgro’s Film and Media Promotion Officer, explains: “Over the last few years, our country has been dressed and redressed to masquerade as America, Europe, Hong Kong or the Island of Corfu. We have everything from forests and oceans to mountains, deserts and cityscapes alongside fabulous beaches. As highly a soughtafter film destination, many international films and TV series have been shot on location in Cape Town and the Western Cape – like Warrior, Black Sails, Dr Who, Black Mirror and Love Island, to name a few. Hosting productions like these entice tourists to visit our country to see the locations where these films were shot. Research has shown that after a successful
