Abstract
By focusing on television film-induced tourists, this chapter will contribute to a better understanding of tourist behaviour in relation to motivations for travel to filming locations. The chapter combines, analyses, and critiques the main debates raised by key authors in relation to identifying the motivational factors that prompt site-specific film tourism as well as providing contributions from this author's 2016 research on television film-induced tourism in Ireland. The chapter is divided into the following sections: a brief history of film and television and a review and discussion on film tourism, a breakdown of the different categories of film tourist and a summation of the various motivations for television induced film tourism, followed by an insight into the concept of authenticity in film tourism studies and the use of technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality as a means to provide a more immersive experience post COVID-19.
TopIntroduction
This chapter comes at a time when managers in tourism and hospitality industries need to look to the future in a dynamic and competitive market and utilise film-induced tourism development to gain competitive advantage. As a result of the world lockdown due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, television viewing and media streaming site subscriptions boomed. Thus, film tourism will possibly be a niche form of cultural tourism that could be a key to rebuilding the tourism industry post COVID-19. Film induced tourism is still a relatively new field of study, and the appeal is not yet fully understood or explored. There have been many studies completed investigating the relationship between film and tourism, but they have primarily dealt with: 1. destination image planning and management; 2. investigating the impacts of film tourism on host communities; 3. authenticity. Subsequently, after identifying gaps in the current literature around the topics of tourist motivation and the experience of being a film tourist, further research was undertaken to identify, characterise and understand both the possible and actual motivations of the film tourist; specifically, from the consumer perspective to examine the effects of film on tourist behaviour.
It is well-recognised that visits to film and television series locations is a growing global phenomenon in the tourism field, and with that comes a growing amount of tourism research. Such research examines the relationships between tourism and popular media (e.g., Beeton, 2016; Busby & Klug, 2001; Connell, 2005, 2005a, 2012; Connell & Meyer, 2009; Kim, 2010; McWha & Beeton, 2018; Reijnders, 2011; Riley & van Doren, 1992; Roesch, 2009; Santos & Kim, 2017; Yen & Teng, 2013). However, consumer demands and behaviour will be permanently altered by the pandemic, and all stakeholders in the tourism industry will need to adapt. As travellers strive for meaningful short breaks and touristic experiences, one way in which destinations can bounce back would be using immersive technologies and the redesigning of tourism offerings. Thus, this chapter will begin by providing a brief history of film and television and a review and discussion on film tourism. The chapter also offers a breakdown of the different categories of film tourist and a summation of the various motivations for film tourism, followed by an insight into the concept of authenticity in film tourism studies and the use of technologies such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality as a means to provide a more immersive experience. The objective is to provide a critical overview of film tourism research to date and present the motivational factors that prompt site-specific television film-induced tourism, with contributions from the author’s 2016 research on tourist motivation in the context of television film-induced tourism from the television series Game of Thrones.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Primary Motivators: Initial socio-psychological motivations that create a need within people to travel – exploration and evaluation of self, escape from a perceived mundane environment, relaxation, health and fitness, enhancement of kinship relationships, facilitation of social interaction, novelty, cultural experiences, education, prestige.
Film Tourism: Tourist visits to a destination or attraction because of the destination being featured on television, video, or the cinema screen.
Site-Specific Film Tourism: Tourism to one particular location because it featured on television.
Fanatical Film Tourist: Specific dedicated film tourists or purposeful film tourists, as they are taking part in an organised tour exclusively for a specific television programme and its film locations.
Secondary (Site Specific) Motivators: An expansion of the primary motivators in the way that they relate to site-specific film tourism. A primary motivator may be facilitation of social interaction, whereas the secondary motivator (site specific motivator) may be enjoying the television series and want to share that interest with others or want to meet the cast and characters of the show.