From Locations to Destinations: Film Tourism Conference in Sweden
In September, the film tourism conference "From Locations to Destinations" will be held in the Swedish town of Ystad, location of the popular crime series Wallander. The programme is directed at film commissions, tourism operators, visitor attraction managers and tourism and media consultants with the aim to analyse the latest trends in film-related tourism.
Baz Luhrmann's tourism campaign around the movie Australia has animated Tourism Tasmania to launch its own tourism-inducing campaign. Launching in the same fashion as a movie premiere, "Bigger than Australia" is trying to convince tourists to choose Tasmania over the mainland. www.tasmaniathemovie.com
Japanese company addresses film location tourists
Tokyo has recently welcomed quite a few Lost in Translation fans from overseas. Directed by Sofia Coppola, this movie, which won the Oscar for best original screenplay in 2004, was shot entirely in Japan and showcased some of Tokyo's best-known sites. A venture company has now been set up which handles everything from inviting film crews to shoot in Japan to planning sightseeing tours of movie locations. View full article
Source: Web Japan (text and image)
Tourism Australia's tourism campaign by Baz Luhrmann
Tourism Australia has launched its new tourism campaign which centre piece is an image movie produced and directed by Australia director Baz Luhrmann. The image campaign deals with stressed managers who go to Australia in order to find themselves again. Watch it on You Tube.
Switzerland, Bollywood and Indian tourists
"We have come to Switzerland to see the landscape that we often see in Hindi movies. It is like a heaven. It is the visit of a lifetime," says first-time visitor Prakash Mehta, a Delhi-based businessman who is currently touring the Alpine country with his family. According to Swiss tourism figures, nearly a quarter of a million Indians visit this country every year and there is an upward trend. Complete article
Source: hrs IST, PTI
Indiana Jones locations
If you want to visit Indiana Jones locations around the globe then check out this article. Featured locations are the Tunisian city Kairouan and its surroundings (fictional Cairo and backdrop for the desert chase scenes in Raiders of the Lost Arc), the UNESCO-protected archaeological site Petra in Jordan, castle Bürresheim in Germany(both from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and many others.
New Zealand hopes to profit from Australia's new film-tourism campaign
New Zealand tourism authorities are to boost their Australian marketing budget as Australia prepares to launch its own ad offensive using the filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.
Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) is adding $2 million in marketing this year to encourage more Aussies to cross the Tasman, bringing its annual media budget to $8 million.
In October its rival, Tourism Australia, begins a nine-month campaign based around the Luhrmann movie Australia, starting with two commercials made by him drawing on the film's themes of romance and adventure. Complete article
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
"Australia" Director Baz Luhrmann creating national tourism campaign for Australia
Camping in the outback inspired world-renowned film director Baz Luhrmann to create a new global tourism campaign for Australia.
The $50 million push by Tourism Australia will
aim to evoke the spirit felt by Luhrmann while on location for his new movie Australia.
The one-off campaign will reflect the emotion of the movie through a series of contemporary stories, Luhrmann told reporters in Sydney.
"What we hope to do is convey an emotional experience that is possible from going the extra distance and coming to this unique special place on the edge of the world," he said. Complete article
Source: theage.com.au
former "Hobbit" promoting Scotland's tourism attractions
Scotsman and former Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd is happy to lend his name to promoting the glens, bens and sometimes eccentric leisure activities of his homeland. The top activity, according to VisitScotland, is viewing dolphins in the Moray Firth, with seaplane flights from Loch Lomond a close second. Loch Ness Monster-hunting and seeking out locations from The Da Vinci Code are quite popular as well... Complete article
Source: The Scotsman
New Bond film boosting Panama tourism
Interest in Panama has been sparked by the Bond film "Quantam of Solace", according to Journey Latin America. Scenes for the film were shot in Panama City's Casca Viejo (Old Town) as well as in the ruins of Noriega's former "Officers and Troops Club", transformed into the venue of a cocktail party, and in the "precarious, old wooden buildings" of Colon (Haita in the film). Quantam of Solace is due to be released on October 31st.
Source: holidaylettings.co.uk
Town pins hopes on teen film
Tourism bosses are hoping that a new movie will attract younger tourists to a Sussex coastal town.
Much of "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" which went on general release on Friday, was filmed in Eastbourne.
The film is based on a book by Brighton author Louise Rennison about the trials of a 14-year-old girl and is directed by Bafta nominee Gurinder Chadha.
Eastbourne Borough Council said it hoped the movie would help dispel the idea the town was just for the elderly. Complete article
Source: BBC News Channel
"Prince Caspian" showcasing New Zealand
Once again, New Zealand will be showcased on the big screen, thanks to the second film adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. As with the first episode, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Kiwi director Andrew Adamson filmed parts of Prince Caspian in picturesque locations all over New Zealand. The national tourism organisation Tourism New Zealand currently features a background story on the involved locations on its website.
Australia: huge "buzz" about "Baz"
The release of Baz Luhrmann’s epic film Australia, presents the Australian tourism industry with the greatest promotional opportunity in many years.
As a global film event, and with the extraordinary power of films in stimulating tourism, the national tourism organisation "Tourism Australia" sees Australia the movie as acting as a catalyst to motivate people to travel to Australia now and for Australians to rediscover their own country. In order to capitalise on the film, Tourism Australia is working directly with the film’s creators, Bazmark Inq and Twentieth Century Fox to turn this opportunity into real economic benefits for the tourism industry and the broader community. Source: Tourism Australia
Bollywood and Tyrol – a love affair
Since 1998 the Tyrolean Film Commission "Cine Tirol" it has successfully aimed to promote Tyrol internationally as the location in the heart of the Alps. Since that time Cine Tirol has been able to bring more than 60 Indian film productions to the area, reaching millions of Indian cinemagoers.
This has in turn prompted the Tirol Tourist Board to intensify Tyrolean tourism promotion in India. Thanks to participation in selected trade fairs and workshops, sales calls and mailings in the major towns throughout the subcontinent the number of Indian visitors to Tyrol has considerably increased in recent years.
"Sex and the City" movie gives new boost to New York City movie tourism
With the "Sex and the City" movie premiere being just over a week away, New York City expects many fans to flock to the film's locations. Movie location tour operator On Location Tours has already been doing location tours around the TV series for years and is bound to profit from the new influx, especially as 80 percent of the movie was filmed on location in N.Y. Full article.
"Sound of Music" villa becomes hotel
July will see the opening of the original von Trapp family villa in Salzburg, Austria as a small boutique hotel. The famous family lived in the villa from 1923 to 1938 before leaving the country for the United States due to the Nazi invasion of Austria. Visitors will soon have the chance to sleep in Liesl's bedroom or get married in the family's chapel. Read full story.
"Weta Cave" brings film fans up close to their beloved movies
Wellington: Special Effects Company "Weta Workshop" has recently announced the opening of its "Weta Cave" which will allow film fans to buy memorabilia from movies such as The Lord of the Rings, the world of Narnia and King Kong. Several movie tour operators in the area have already included a visit to "Weta Cave" in their tour itineraries which will open to the public at the end of May. The Cave will also feature a behind-the-scenes movie from Weta Workshop and will regularly host changing exhibitions of film props and costumes. Read whole article.
Ischia Movie Tourism Exchange 2008
The main topic of this year's Ischia Movie Tourism Exchange will be "Movie Tourism: Fiction or Reality?". A team of international experts will dicuss the influences of movies over the audience's choice to visit a particular film location and how these decisions impact on the visited destinations. www.ischiafilmfestival.it
Sketching Tour with LOTR calligrapher Daniel Reeves
Red Carpet Tours will offer a special film location tour in October with LOTR calligrapher Daniel Reeves. Daniel Reeves has worked on the film production and will join the tour as resident artist, giving demonstrations at sites, lead sketching groups and run four evening workshops. More information
Edoras protected by New Zealand Government
The stunning South Canterbury farm used as the backdrop for the city of Edoras in The Lord of the Rings has been purchased by the New Zealand Government to be protected in perpuitity and opened for access to all.
The high country station, known as Mesopotamia, is home to rare alpine plants and threatened species of birds. Of Mesopotamia’s 26,115 hectares, 20,863 hectares will become public conservation land.
Significant increase in Sound of Music online bookings
Salzburg Panorama Tours, the first tour operator offering Sound of Music film location tours in Salzburg (Austria) in the early 70s, recently announced record bookings for the year 2007, with the sales volume for online bookings having more than doubled compared to 2006. 76% of the website visitors are English speaking and only ten percent speak German. Over one fourth of the visitors come from the USA, 14% come from Germany, 11% from Great Britain and four percent from Japan. Only 3.5% of the bookings are made from locals. See full article (under the headline "Export Prize 2007")
Tyrolean Tourism Conference 2008 - 'Media and Tourism'
'Media and Tourism' is the theme of this year's annual Tyrolean Tourism Conference 2008. We will also participate with a talk on 'Tourism Spin-off Effects of Feature Films'.
Other presentations are on the topics 'European Soccer Championship 2008 from a media perspective', 'Web 2.0' and '10 years Cine Tirol - Tyrolean Film Commission'.
"Der Bergdoktor" - TV Destination Marketing in Tyrol
The Tyrolean Tourism organisation 'Tourismusverband Wilder Kaiser' is currently featuring detailed information
on the popular German TV-Series Der Bergdoktor on its website. www.wilderkaiser.info
Upcoming Conferences, Festivals and Events 2009/2010
Mixed Reality - from Locations to Destinations, Ystad, Sweden
21-22 September 2010 www.mixedreality.info
International Conference on Tourism and Audiovisual (as part of the Art&Tur Film Tourism Festival 2010), Barcelos, Portugal
23-26 September 2010 www.tourfilm-festival.com
What others say about Stefan's book:
"The phenomenon of film tourism is still a new field of study, and although we know that film and television inspires people to travel to film locations, we don’t fully understand why. This book is therefore extremely timely and important, and delivers incisive commentary from one of the world’s foremost experts in this niche area. This is a unique, highly readable resource for anyone interested in this dynamic part of the tourism industry.
Prof. Simon Hudson, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, University of South Carolina, USA
"This book is an extremely useful tool for VisitBritain to identify the global importance of film tourism and the impact on other destinations and attractions. It is essential reading for anyone in the tourism industry who wants to use film tourism as a ‘hook’ and I would certainly recommend it to any destination marketeer. "
Baz Luhrmann's tourism campaign around the movie Australia has animated Tourism Tasmania to launch its own tourism-inducing campaign. Launching in the same fashion as a movie premiere, "Bigger than Australia" is trying to convince tourists to choose Tasmania over the mainland.
Tokyo has recently welcomed quite a few 
If you want to visit Indiana Jones locations around the globe then check out 
Camping in the outback inspired world-renowned film director Baz Luhrmann to create a new global tourism campaign for Australia.
Scotsman and former Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd is happy to lend his name to promoting the glens, bens and sometimes eccentric leisure activities of his homeland. The top activity, according to VisitScotland, is viewing dolphins in the Moray Firth, with seaplane flights from Loch Lomond a close second. Loch Ness Monster-hunting and seeking out locations from The Da Vinci Code are quite popular as well...
Interest in Panama has been sparked by the Bond film "Quantam of Solace", according to Journey Latin America. Scenes for the film were shot in Panama City's Casca Viejo (Old Town) as well as in the ruins of Noriega's former "Officers and Troops Club", transformed into the venue of a cocktail party, and in the "precarious, old wooden buildings" of Colon (Haita in the film). Quantam of Solace is due to be released on October 31st.
Tourism bosses are hoping that a new movie will attract younger tourists to a Sussex coastal town.
Once again, New Zealand will be showcased on the big screen, thanks to the second film adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. As with the first episode, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Kiwi director Andrew Adamson filmed parts of Prince Caspian in picturesque locations all over New Zealand. The national tourism organisation Tourism New Zealand currently features a background story on the involved locations on its 
Since 1998 the Tyrolean Film Commission "Cine Tirol" it has successfully aimed to promote Tyrol internationally as the location in the heart of the Alps. Since that time Cine Tirol has been able to bring more than 60 Indian film productions to the area, reaching millions of Indian cinemagoers.
With the "Sex and the City" movie premiere being just over a week away, New York City expects many fans to flock to the film's locations. Movie location tour operator 
July will see the opening of the original von Trapp family villa in Salzburg, Austria as a small boutique hotel. The famous family lived in the villa from 1923 to 1938 before leaving the country for the United States due to the Nazi invasion of Austria. Visitors will soon have the chance to sleep in Liesl's bedroom or get married in the family's chapel.
Wellington: Special Effects Company "Weta Workshop" has recently announced the opening of its "Weta Cave" which will allow film fans to buy memorabilia from movies such as The Lord of the Rings, the world of Narnia and King Kong. Several movie tour operators in the area have already included a visit to "Weta Cave" in their tour itineraries which will open to the public at the end of May. The Cave will also feature a behind-the-scenes movie from Weta Workshop and will regularly host changing exhibitions of film props and costumes.
Red Carpet Tours will offer a special film location tour in October with LOTR calligrapher Daniel Reeves. Daniel Reeves has worked on the film production and will join the tour as resident artist, giving demonstrations at sites, lead sketching groups and run four evening workshops.
The stunning South Canterbury farm used as the backdrop for the city of Edoras in The Lord of the Rings has been purchased by the New Zealand Government to be protected in perpuitity and opened for access to all.
Salzburg Panorama Tours, the first tour operator offering Sound of Music film location tours in Salzburg (Austria) in the early 70s, recently announced record bookings for the year 2007, with the sales volume for online bookings having more than doubled compared to 2006. 76% of the website visitors are English speaking and only ten percent speak German. Over one fourth of the visitors come from the USA, 14% come from Germany, 11% from Great Britain and four percent from Japan. Only 3.5% of the bookings are made from locals.
'Media and Tourism' is the theme of this year's annual Tyrolean Tourism Conference 2008. We will also participate with a talk on 'Tourism Spin-off Effects of Feature Films'.
The Tyrolean Tourism organisation 'Tourismusverband Wilder Kaiser' is currently featuring detailed information
