Manola Maria

Assoc. Professor of University of Western Attica, Department of Tourism

 

ABSTRACT: Film tourism is a global phenomenon that occupies an increasingly large space in the tourism industry, as it spreads and develops rapidly. It has been heavily influenced by literature and history, since many films are based on stories, novels and novellas of books. It plays a catalytic role in the promotion, highlighting and readability of a place as it presents depictions of tourist destinations which are then chosen by interested visitors.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the various dimensions of the phenomenon of film tourism and its interaction with literature in terms of local development. The study is based on quantitative research conducted in the form of questionnaires in cinemas in Athens.

KEY WORDS: literature, cinema, film tourism, literary park, literary hero.

 

1.  INTRODUCTION

Literary and cinematographic works have the ability to take readers on mental journeys to the places of description or depiction, creating images in their imagination. They are a typical example of the ability of language to depict regions, landscapes and also the culture of the inhabitants of these regions. Readers of works of literature or viewers of films wish to travel to the places where their favorite stories take place and experience the places mentioned as they create images through reading and whether the work of literature is transferred to the small or big screen the interest of the readers is growing spectacularly. Readers, among other things, wish to know the places where their favorite authors lived or what is mentioned in the books and film works because as Manola (2019) mentions, this is how the images that have been previously formed through the literary works which are captured in the imagination of their creators.

 

2. FILM TOURISM AND LITERATURE

According to Laloumis & Roupa (1998), tourists are those who travel for health, professional, religious or any other reason and are away from home for more than one day without the intention of settling permanently in the destination.

Film tourism (or cinematic tourism) is a phenomenon that occupies an increasingly large space in the tourism industry, as it spreads and develops more and more. The development of new industrial facilities as well as the growing demand of the tourist market have helped its development (Hudson & Ritchie, 2006) and scholars such as Riley & Van Doren (1992), refer to film tourism as a new philosophy, inextricably intertwined with the screen because the tourist is influenced and seeks to travel to a place because of its exposure from motion pictures.

Film tourism has been heavily influenced by literature and history, as many films are derived from stories, novels and novellas of books (Busby & Klug, 2001). According to Connell, (2012) film tourism has flourished, worldwide, thanks to the spread of films, on the one hand through television and cinema and on the other through the Internet. Manola, et al. (2021b) recognize the crucial importance of literature, considering that the creation of films or series owe their existence to it and demonstrates the interconnectedness between literature and cinema.

Cinematic tourism is born in the viewer from the need to visit the location, influenced by his own perceptions and desires and escaping from his daily routine (Manola & Vergi, 2022).

Scholars Riley & Van Doren (1992) and research by Tooke & Baker (1996), agree that there has been an increase in tourists to the locations where specific films have been shot. Accordingly, researchers Beeton, (2005), and Busby & Klug (2001), define film tourism, according to the increasing number of visits to a destination, after the screening of a film or series.

Iwashita (2003) considers that the emergence and spread of film tourism is also due to the history behind the location.

The public watching a film or series becomes a potential tourist, learns, and admires the place and its attractions and is motivated to make a trip (Manola & Vergi, 2022). The development of cinematographic and literary tourism is a global phenomenon with the continuous dissemination and emergence of unexpected destinations with a typical and representative example being Carlo Levi's book and its influence on the upgrading of Matera as reported by Manola, & Tsatambassoglou (2021b) into an international film destination or of Spinalonga which according to Manola & als (2022b) from a place of misery became a place of civilization.

 

3. PLACES EMERGED THROUGH LITERATURE

Until the end of the last century, tourism was a distant possibility for the population, mainly due to economic poverty and the difficulty of moving from one place to another. With a way out of everyday life only literature and poetry. People are fascinated by stories and myths and seek to make a journey to have this experience up close (Manola, 2023).

England and specifically the city of London experienced a huge boom in the 19th century due to the start of literary tourism. Literary and cultural tourism are inextricably linked, as the former draws on elements of the latter (Manola, et al., 2023b).

An occasion for the literary journeys was Arthur Conan Doyle's novel, starring the mysterious hero Sherlock Holmes. Sales of the books around the world attracted crowds of tourists to the city of London and helped boost the economy by creating the museums, streets, restaurants and even hotels that appear to be depicted in the novels. Even 221B Baker Street, although it did not exist, was established by the City and is considered one of the busiest streets in London (Manola, 2022).

Three of William Shakespeare's best-known plays take place in Italy: The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, and The Taming of the Shrew. The Verona described in his most famous work, 'Romeo and Juliet', owes its fame to this literary masterpiece, which has established it as the city of lovers. The so-called house of the Capulets and Juliet's balcony, has become a tourist resort with countless visitors every year. The great appeal of the author causes a great current even nowadays for these regions and brings development in socio-economic and cultural fields (Manola, et al., 2021a).

Author Dan Brown's Illuminati book brought Rome to the forefront of literary tourism, after the book's huge appeal led to a boom in the industry in parts of the city that were referenced in the plot. (Manola, et al., 2022a).

Great Greek poets have been inspired by our country and have influenced Greek culture with their poems, such as Konstantinos Cavafis, who is considered one of the most important poets of the modern era. The places he visited and inspired his poems are considered tourist attractions for the literary tourist (Manola, 2022).

 

 4. CINEMA AND LITERARY PARKS AS TOURISM AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT POLES

The film industry, in recent years, has been an attractant for visitors, all over the world, allowing large and small and medium-sized enterprises to experience serious economic growth (Connell, 2012). This fact is due to the creation of film and television studios, travel agencies, as well as theme film parks which create a special feeling for the visitor, as if they are on the set of the specific film or series. Theme parks are a global phenomenon aiming at the fun, entertainment, and education of young and old (Manola, et al., 2023a) (Milman, 2008). Georgopoulos and Varelas (2021), argue that literature and history play an important role in the creation of theme parks while simultaneously contributing to both the entertainment and education of visitors.

The theme parks are unique in their kind as there the visitor can see all the heroes and have the opportunity to watch fantastic performances, with high technology, music and special effects that will amaze him (Horner & Swarbrooke, 2016) or to admire the sets and scenery with euphoria, as if he too was starring in the movie or series. (Li, et al., 2020).

A well-known Hollywood movie theme park, it is considered the studio of Warner Bros., in Los Angeles, California, which is an essential destination for movie tourists.

Another iconic theme park, just as known worldwide, operated by NBC Universal, is the Orlando theme park, also known as Walt Disney World. It is considered one of the largest theme parks in the world, as its area exceeds 25,000 acres and with an average visitation that in 2018 exceeded 58 million.

A similar park in Anaheim, California, the Disneyland resort, is mainly dedicated to fairy tales and Disney fairy tale characters. The unique scenery and spectacles of this park make it so special that it is rightly considered the second most popular park in America, attracting over 18 million visitors a year (Christopherson & Rightor, 2010).

England is a country that has seen a lot of traffic since 2012, thanks to the Warner Bros. theme park. Studio about the Harry Potter films that made the company not hesitate in investing in the construction of a park worthy of the public's expectations (Chen & Tsai, 2006) with over 10 million visitors every year. Another top theme park is the Disneyland Resort in Paris, which is also based on Disney fairy tale characters. Horner & Swarbrooke (2016) state that attracting new visitors is done by constantly renewing attractions.

Another well-known and fairy-tale theme park has been created in Italy, specifically in Tuscany, with the main theme of the well-known fairy tale of Pinocchio. This theme park has been designated as a cultural heritage park since it aims, in addition to entertainment and entertainment, to educate tourists. Open air and surrounded by vegetation, it brings visitors into contact with the natural environment (Manola, et al., 2023b).

Tourism in the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, increased by 10% in the number of tourists who visited the city during the period 2012-2015, as a result of the filming of the world-famous series "Game of Thrones".

The region of New Zealand, namely Habbiton, because of Lord of the Rings became famous as tourists have the opportunity to visit up to 150 locations, which were used as film sets.

Famous movie attractions have also been developed in the East with the most famous being Lotte World Park in South Korea and Shanghai Disneyland Park in China, which, in fact, attracted over 20 million visitors in the 2019 period (Feng, 2020).

Turkey shows a rise in the film industry with the drama series it exports, and it is even expected that the country's revenue from the series it screens will reach 1 billion in 2023 (Suhud et al., 2021).

According to Marafa, et al, (2020) research and studies have been carried out around film tourism, they conclude that the viewers of a film or series are potential tourists of the specific destination.

 

5. RESEARCH

The aim of the research is to examine the various dimensions of the phenomenon of modern film tourism and its contribution to the visitation and consequently to the local development of the cities and their tourism.

Primary research was applied in the form of a questionnaire, in which closed-ended questions were asked to confirm the research hypothesis of the mentioned study. The questions are multiple choice and were used exclusively for the needs of this work.

 

5.1. METHODOLOGY

The specific questionnaire was distributed to a total of 140 people. The sample was targeted and concerned viewers in a well-known cinema in Athens, specifically the Village Cinemas, located in the Athens Metro Mall shopping center. These questionnaires were written in English and Greek.

The questionnaires were completed on the spot, after it was first clarified to the participants that the research is voluntary and the results will only be presented in the form of statistical figures and graphs, while the answers will remain confidential and anonymous.

The Microsoft Excel program was used for the statistical processing of the questionnaire, and the analysis includes data in the form of tables and graphs.

5.2. RESEARCH RESULTS

Afterwards, the questionnaire data was collected, and the following results were obtained in the form of diagrams and figures, in order to confirm the research hypothesis, that is, that the cinema has a significant impact on the visitation of the screening places and contributes to the development of tourism. From all the questionnaires, all the questions were answered and by all the respondents.

 

5.3.Question 1: State your Gender.

Graph 1: "Gender"

 

5.4.Question 2: State your Age.

Graph 2: "Age"

 

5.5.Question 3: State your Nationality.

Graph 3: "Nationality"$

5.6.Question 4: What is your Marital Status?

Graph 4: "Marital Status"

5.7.Question 5: State your Education Level.

Graph 5: “Education”

 

5.8.Question 6: Which of the following films have you watched (up to 3 answers)?

Graph 6: "Movies"

 

 

5.9.Question 7: Do you know that the above films were shot in different parts of Greece?

Graph 7: "Knowledge that the films were shot in Greece"

 

 5.10.6.Question 8: Which of the following places in Greece, where the following films have been shot, have you visited (up to 3 answers)? 

Graph 8: "Places visited because of a movie"

 

6.CONCLUSIONS

According to the results collected, it was found that the participants have watched many of the above foreign movies, especially those made in the last 15 years. Major film productions such as the following, Mamma Mia (15%), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (13%), Kings of Myconos (12%), My Life in Ruins (12%), James Bond: For Your Eyes Only (11%), Before Midnight (9%), and The Two Faces of January (7%) are observed to have a strong worldwide appeal. However, older foreign films also seem to be widespread among the public, according to the survey results. For reference, the films Captain Correli's Mandolin (5%), Zorba the Greek and The Guns of Navarone (5%), Never on Sunday and Mediterraneo (4%), as well as the legendary film Boy on a Dolphin (2%), appear to be known, albeit with a small percentage.             

Most of the participants, and indeed 54%, did not know that the films mentioned in the previous question were shot in different parts of Greece. In contrast, only 46% of respondents were aware of it.

Based on the results, it is observed that most of the participants have visited several Greek destinations on the occasion of their promotion through the movies.

Specifically, the most popular Greek destinations seem to be the following: Kastelorizo ​​with 16%, Crete, and specifically Chania with 13%, Mykonos, Santorini and Piraeus, with a percentage of 12%.

Immediately after, follow the islands such as Rhodes, Corfu, and Kefallonia with rates of 6%, the Sporades (Skiathos, Skopelos) with a rate of 5%. Meanwhile, low traffic is observed in the Peloponnese regions with percentages of 5% and 4% respectively. Finally, the visitation on the island of Hydra seems to be quite low (3%).

Evaluating the aforementioned, we come to the conclusion that cinema and literature as its basis play a catalytic role in the promotion and recognition of a place. They are considered a powerful medium with an effect on people, since films draw events from everyday life with the aim of influencing the mental and mental perception of the viewer, causing them to be interested and to want to visit the projected location, even unconsciously. As a result, there is a continuous interest in the locations, which have gained recognition and become popular through movies or series. The film industry develops and evolves aiming, not only at the economic development of the respective region, but also at the cultural development, highlighting its culture and civilization contributing to the economic, social and cultural development of the destination region.

According to the mentioned literature as well as the previous quantitative research in theaters of Athens, the contribution of the cinema seems to be a decisive factor for the development of tourism in areas that were shown through it.

 

 

 

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Beeton, S. (2005). Film- Induced Tourism. Clevedon, UK: Channel View Publications, 179.
2. Busby, G. & Klug, J. (2001). Movie- induced tourism: The challenge of measurements and other issues. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 7 (4): 316-322.
3. Chen C.F., & Tsai D.C., (2006). How destination image and evaluative factors affects behavioral intentions? Tourism Management, 28, 1115-1122.
4. Christopherson, S. & Rightor, N. (2010). The Creative Economy as “Big Business”: Evaluating State Strategies to Lure Filmmakers. Journal of planning education and research 29(3) pp 336-352
5. Connell, J (2005b). “What’s the story in Balamory?” The impacts of a children’s TV programme on small tourism enterprises on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 13, 228-225.
6. Connell, J (2012). Progress in Tourism Management, Film Tourism: Evolution, Progress and Prospects. Tourism Management 33(5) pp.1007-1029.
7. Feng, Shuang (2020). Rebuild the Old Summer Palace to its former glory? Chinese relies bureau says no.
8. Georgopoulos, N., & Varelas, S., (2021). ‘Theme Park Tourism’ In Papageorgiou, A., N., and Hatzigeorgiou, X., S., ed. Special Interest Tourism. Nicosia: Broken Hill Publishers LTD. Pages 403-420
9. Horner, S & Swarbrooke, J., (2016). Consumer Behaviour in Tourism, 3rd edition, London, p.464.
10. Hudson, S. & Ritchie, J. (2006). Promoting Destinations via Film Tourism: An Empirical Identification of Supporting Marketing Initiatives. Sage Publications, IMDb.
11. Iwashita, C (2003). Media construction of Britain as a destination for Japanese tourists: Social constructionism and tourism. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 4 (4), 331-340.
12. Laloumis, D. & Roupas, B. (1998). Tourism business management. Stamoulis Publications, Athens.
13. Li, B., Zhang, T., Hua, N., and Jahromi, M.(2020). Developing an overarching framework on theme park research: a critical review method. Current Issues in Tourism, p.p. 1-17.
14. Manola, Μ.(2019). Literature, Tourism, Culture. published by Tsiotras, Athens.
15. Manola, M.,(2022). ‘The Meaning of “Voyage” and “Sea” in Kavadias’ Poetry’, Center for Open Access in Science Open Journal for Studies in Arts, V 5(2), 45-50.
16. Manola, M.(2023). Cavafy’s Places- Mapping of Literary Routes. Center for Open Access in Science Open Journal for Studies in Linguistics, 2023, 6(2), 51-58. ISSN (Online) 2620-0678 ▪ https://doi.org/10.32591/coas.ojsl.0602.02051m
17. Manola, M., Kouni, S. & Koltsikoglou, G. (2021a). ‘Shakespeare's Influence on Venetian Literature - Grand Tour and Literary Routes’. Journal of Asian Research. Vol. 5, No. 1, in March 2021.
18.  Manola,M.  & Tsatambassoglou,A.(2021b).The city of "Μatera" cultural capital and cinematographic destination with the power of literature.Journal of Asian Research,  Vol. (5)3
19. Manola, M., Maniou, F., Vouglanis, T., Soldatou, A.(2023a). Literary routes in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes, SDCT-Journal V12(1)79-85.
20. Manola, M., Tsatalbasoglou, E., Maniou, F. (2023b). “The Literary Hero Pinocchio and his Impact on Tourism and Education”. Sustainable Development - Environment, Culture, Society,  Vol.1 www.sdct-journal.gr.
21.  Manola, M., & Vergi, Aik.(2022). ‘J.R.R Tolkien- Movie Theatre –Expectations and Experiences of New Zealand’. Sustainable Development, Culture, Traditions Journal (SDCT-Journal), Volume 1.
22. Manola, M., Pagkalos, I., Maniou,I. (2022a). ‘The Rome of the Illuminati According to Dan Brown’. Sustainable Development, Culture, Traditions.
23. Manola M.,Tsatalbassoglou A.-I., Koltsikoglou G.(2022b). ‘The contribution of author Victoria Hislop to sustainable tourism development of the island of Crete",Conference on 3rd Symposium on Circular Economy and Sustainability Chania, Greece 27-29 June,  https://3rd. /Proceedings/5B_1.pdf
24. Marafa, L.M., Chan, C.S., & Li, K., (2020). Market Potential and Obstacles for Film- Induced Tourism Development on Yunnan Province in China. Journal of China Tourism Research, 1-23.
25. Milman, A., (2008). Theme Park Tourism and Management Strategy, In Woodside, A., G., and Martin, D. eds Tourism Management Analysis Behavior and Strategy. UK: CAB International. p.p. 218-231.
26. Riley, R. &Van Doren, C. (1992). Movies as tourism promotion: A “pull” factor in a “push” location. Tourism Management, Vol.13, No 3moo267-274.
27. Suhud, U., Handaru, A., Allan, M., & Wiratama, B., (2021). Turkish destination image and attitude toward Turkish television drama. In Promoting Creative Tourism: Current Issues in Tourism Research (pp. 223-229). Routledge.
28. Tooke, N., & Baker, M. (1996). Seeing is believing: the effect of film on visitor numbers to screened locations. Tourism Management, Vol. 17 (2): 87-94.