Film tourism and ecotourism: mutually exclusive or compatible?

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to look at the relationship between film tourism and ecotourism and questions whether the two are compatible or mutually exclusive. Design/methodology/approach – Entertainment films are making a deep impact on international tourism development, with popular movies playing an increasingly influential role in tourists’ choice of holiday destination. Areas with high natural value are frequently used as film locations, their image as a nature-loving escape paradise emerges and is coincided with a growth of film-induced visitors, willing to participate in nature-based activities. Tourism has always been a fundamental component of the areas of high natural value concept, and with this unparalled growth of the film tourism and ecotourism, it was inevitable that one day they will meet and interact in natural areas. This paper provides case studies where filmic intervention shapes tourist nature-loving imaginings, triggers ecotourism activities but also raises environmental concern of locals, and films like The Beach (2000) and Deliverance (1972) and the TV series Pride and Prejudice (1996) are subject to discussion. Findings – In many cases, the natural areas have not the carrying capacity to cope with large increases in film-induced visitors, and this results in a number of possible undesirable consequences, from the loss of privacy to the destruction of the natural environment. This paper suggests that film tourism and ecotourism are compatible if tourism policy planners follow strategies, such as environmental education initiatives, that engage film tourism stakeholders and the film industry in creating solutions to environmental challenges. Originality/value – Film tourism planning hasn’t yet focused on the tools for environmentally sound management of a destination. This paper argues that film tourism literature needs to develop marketing and policy perspectives to inform appropriate environmental management of film tourism planning and enhance environmental sustainability of a destination.