Film Tourism –

Case Study: Norway

Stefan Roesch

www.film-tourism.com

Introduction to Film Tourism

Defining Film Tourism

Travel to a destination that has been portrayed in a film production

Example:

The movie Room with a View (1985) is partly set in Florence, Italy.Someone who is inspired by the film and travels to Florence becomes afilm tourist.

“Film productions” include:

� feature film productions� fictional TV productions� documentaries� tourism image films� home videos

Defining Film Location Tourism

Travels to places/sites used for filming or associated withfilming.

Example:

Lord of the Rings film location tourists recreating a scene at the original film location.

Film Tourism Effects

CurrentVisitors

PotentialVisitors

Aware of LOTR films/ aware of publicity 93% 86%

Aware filmed in NZ 86% 65%

Seen at least one LOTR film 72% 75%

More motivated to visit NZ - 61%

More likely to visit NZ - 57%

Better understanding of what you can do in NZ - 29%

LOTR a reason for coming to NZ (main reason or one reason) 8% -

Base: Total Respondents 775 907

LOTR Impact on New Zealand’s

Destination Image and Travel Stimulation

Source: Tourism New Zealand 2003

Visitor Increase:

Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland

Source: courtesy of Nick Finnigan, VisitScotland (2009)

2003 38.000

2004 68.000

2005 120.000

2006 176.000

2007 158.000

2008 128.000

Screening of the Da Vinci Code

Visitor Increase:

Wallace Monument, Scotland

1994 50.173

1995 128.638

2006 119.000

2007 125.000

2008 130.000

Source: courtesy of Nick Finnigan, VisitScotland (2009)

Screening of Braveheart

Visitor Increase:

Ystad, Sweden

day trippers overnight stayers

2003 1.123.106 781.653

2004 1.105.708 747.941

2005 1.236.409 678.477

2006 1.249.925 722.031

2007 1.454.282 658.368

+331.176 -123.285

Source: courtesy of Itta Johnson, Ystads kommun (2009)

TV release of theWallander series

Source: Ernst & Young (2009) Economic and Fiscal Impacts of the New Mexico Film Production Tax Credit.

Film-related tourism accounted for an estimated 5.5% of total New

Mexico tourism expenditures in 2008.

Visitor Increase through Filmic Impulses: Scenarios

1

1,2

1,4

1,6

1,8

2

2,2

2,4

2,6

2,8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

year

factor

Types of Film Location Tourists

general

serendipitous

specific

Destination Marketing through Film

40%of international respondents say theywould be ‘very likely’ to visit locationsassociated with films/tv if they were tovisit Britain.

Product Placement = Hybrid Message

Source: after Balasubramanian S. K. (1994), Beyond Advertising and Publicity: Hybrid Messages and Public Policy

Issues. Journal of Advertising, Vol. XXIII, No. 4:30.

AdvertisingPro:

Content controlled bysponsor

Con:

Sponsor identifiable, sourceregarded with suspicion

Public RelationsPro:

Sponsor not identifiable, source seems genuine

Con:

Content and format not controlled by sponsor

Product Placement= Hybrid Message

Con:

Content controlled bysponsor

Pro:

Sponsor not identifiable, source seems genuine

Location Placement in Film

Marketeer-uncontrolled Marketeer-controlled

Live the Bond Lifestyle-Campaign by VisitBritain

Source: courtesy of VisitBritain (2009)

Evaluating the Advertising Equivalent Value:

relation: ca. 20 : 1

The Different Image Change Agents

Source: Gartner (1993)

The Pros of Destination Placement in Film

� free advertising� sponsor not identifiable� high market penetration� high credibility

Problem: (almost) no control over the content

Case Study 1: The Golden Compass

The Locations

Bryggen wharf area Svalbard

Trollesund

The town in Norroway where the Gyptians begin their land journey to Bolvangar, where Lyra meets Lee Scoresby and where the Witch Consul to Norroway lives. Trollesund lies in the north of Norroway. It is possible that Trollesund is the city Tromsø in our world. They are both in the same general location, close to Svalbard and an important harbour in the north of Norway/Norroway.

Svalbard

A northern archipelago in Lyra‘s World, where cliff-ghasts live, as well as possibly witch clans, and Lord Asriel is exiled to Svalbard, where he lives with his servant Thorold. Svalbard is, most notably, home to the panserbiørne who have their fortress there. In our world, as in Lyra's, Svalbard is a cluster of Norwegian isles.

The Fictional Places

Svalbard – Land of thePanserbiørne

Bergen – Experience the real Trollesund

Case Study 2: Ein Mann, ein Fjord!

The Locations

Oslo Bergen train Bergen

HurtigrutenGeirangerfjordÅlesund

„Björn uten Bukse“

Case Study 3: Liebe am Fjord

Gesang des Windes

Sommersturm

Liebe am Fjord – The First Two Films (2010)

Assessing and Securing

the Film-inducing Tourism Potential of

Liebe am Fjord

1. Assessment of the films prior to their televised release

2. Identification of tourism-inducing tools

3. Innovation Norway approached the film production company:- to negotiate the use of film material- to discuss the Norwegian-relevant content of the films- to establish a good working relationship for the future- to discuss joint promotion

The Idea Creative Input Financing Post-Production Ancillary Releases

Development Location Selection Production Festivals &

Cinema Releases

Starts here? Optimal? Ends here?

optimal ends here

Source: adapted from OLSBERG (2007)

When to Get Involved

Destination Marketing through Liebe am Fjord

� Location tour/visit with selected travel and film journalists (in cooperation with Fjord Norway)

� Special film premiere in the Abaton Cinema in Hamburg. Norway was promoted as a travel destination in relation to the film (banners, posters, main actors as testimonials).

� Social Media Marketing, PR, B2C Newsletter

� German Microsite

German Microsite

Outlook: Four New Films in 2011 and 2012

� The goal is to incoporate more Norway-specific elements into the script.

� The German Film Research Unit is currently conducting interviews with various experts to filter relevant themes (ongoing).

� One result is that one of the next films (Das Ende der Eiszeit) will feature the existing village of Fjaeland.

Case Study 4: The Empire Strikes Back

The Location: Hardangerjøkulen glacier

In Conclusion…

The Positive Effects of Film Tourism

� strengthens relationships between film and tourism industry

� contributes to a film-friendly attitude from residents

� can support the film industry to promote the production (tie-ins)

� contributes to a wider destination branding

� can revive influx to established tourist attractions

� film location tourism attracts independent and interactive travellers

� can be sustainable (cult films, renewed windows of exhibition)

Contact:

Stefan Roesch

stefan.roesch@film-tourism.com

www.film-tourism.com

Thank you!