How Film Tourists Experience Destinations

Within the tourism industry, the specific type of tourism-Film Tourism-has recently been recognized and approached in several research projects and case-studies. The researchers agree that, in certain conditions, a film may influence the decision of the viewer to travel to the destination that such film portrays. However, there is an evident lack of understanding about the underlying reasons why films may have such a stimulating effect on tourist decisions. It is vital to research different elements of the film and their possible effects on tourism-related decisions of the viewer. Accordingly, an extensive survey was conducted, followed by a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews. The results suggest that films may affect the viewers through the processes of association construction and evaluation. The major contribution of this study is the reconfirmation that films affect tourists via a number of elements, such as visual beauty, plot, actors, credibility and the atmosphere. Furthermore, it would appear that, for most tourists, film is an additional and not a primary factor which creates a wish to travel, and the visual portrayal of the destination may be the key element which determines whether the film will affect the decision of the viewer to travel.