Homo Sapiens is the story telling animal and for more than 100 years, it is film, more than any other medium, which has taken us on journeys on which we are temporarily drawn into a fictional story. Although the main purpose of a film is not to persuade the audience to travel to a certain place presented in a movie, location placement may stimulate the travel demand. Due to intangibility a main characteristic of services tourists are often faced with uncertainty during their decision making process. Tourism researchers provided empirical proof that movies and television series may help to reduce perceived risks, enhance familiarity and lead to a favourable image formation in consumers’ minds.
Epic story telling can be seen as a main characteristic that unites the film and tourism industry, which both make a living from creating experiences. Within the latter destination image is of paramount importance because it fundamentally affects tourists’ decision making process in which emotions play an essential role. Films and television series are said to communicate emotions and viewers often identify themselves with the stories and places depicted in the movie. Movies can be seen as an effective marketing tool that can lead to high market penetration without the “hard sell” impressions of usual promotional activities. Furthermore films serve as cultural ambassadors that present the uniqueness of a place. Therefore tourism organisations often go into partnership with the film industry and agree to host film crews in order to leverage the effects of film-induced tourism
Table of Contents
Main Part
1. Introduction
1.1. Status quo
1.2. Findings
1.3. Research gap
1.4. Research objective
1.5. Structure
2. Core section
2.1. Film tourism a literature review
2.1.1. Introduction to film-induced tourism
2.1.2. Film-induced tourism – an interdisciplinary area
2.1.3. Definitions and forms of film tourism
2.1.4. Film tourists and their travel motivations
2.1.5. Location placement
2.2. Destination image literature review
2.2.1. Definitions of destination image
2.2.2. Formation of destination image
2.2.3. Factors that influence destination image
2.2.4. Dimensions of a destination image
2.2.5. The multisensory image as a component of destination image
2.2.6. Conclusion
2.3. Tourists’ decision making process
2.3.1. The complexity of tourist decision making process
2.3.2. Consumer behaviour
2.3.3. The AIDA model
2.3.4. The Visitor Journey
2.3.5. Customer journey
2.3.6. The impact of destination image on tourists’ decision making process
2.4. Films’ influences on destination image and on tourists’ decision making process
2.4.1. Between dreams and reality – what unites the film industry and tourism
2.4.2. Conceptual framework on viewers’ response to films and television series
2.4.3. Location placement and destination image
2.4.4. Epic storytelling - film tourism success factors
2.5. Best practice example of film induced tourism
2.5.1. Visit Britain
2.5.2. James Bond goes Austria
2.5.3. The Sound of Music – Austria’s cultural ambassador
2.5.4. Bollywood - new comers on the fast track
3. Conclusion and limitations
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This thesis examines the influence of films on destination image and their subsequent impact on the holiday decision-making process of tourists. It investigates how cinematic storytelling can serve as a non-traditional, highly credible marketing tool to shape perceptions and stimulate travel demand.
- Interdisciplinary nature of film-induced tourism
- Formation and components of destination image
- Mechanisms of tourist decision-making models (AIDA, Visitor Journey)
- Synergies between the film industry and tourism sectors
- Analysis of successful international case studies (UK, Austria, Bollywood)
Excerpt from the Book
2.4.1. Between dreams and reality – what unites the film industry and tourism
Cinema brings to people what they want in their lives: love, emotion, extravagance, adventure, seduction … It is possible to temporarily lose oneself for a few hours and to be drawn into a fictional story. As with tourism, people need to put aside their routines at least for a period to allow themselves to relax and restructure. (Ingram, 2013, p. 39, see also Krippendorf, 1987)
This statement encapsulates the characteristics of today’s highly digital entertainment society. As films and holiday travels both fall under leisure activities they are not only sources of potential pleasure but also imply a therapeutic effect on individuals’ well-being. Several researchers found that cinema is capable of storing and to transmitting larges amount of information. In human conscience this information and the stories linked to it are lodged. Furthermore the information and stories of films remain in viewers’ minds, evoke feelings in individuals and mould powerful long lasting images. Ingram quoting Münsterberg, describes “the conception of cinema as mental process, as “the art of the spirit”, developing in four steps, attention, memory, imagination and emotions”. He further indicates that film might act as a mirror in which viewers can identify themselves with actors and their life stories which evokes emotions creating a permanent impression. In the tourism sector one can observe a similar scenario, people who decide to go on holiday, aiming to escape from the routine of their daily lives. Therefore one could argue that both movies and tourism destinations propose a space between dreams and reality in which viewers and tourists find themselves in a state of momentary joy; this may influence their perceptions as well as their future consumer behaviour. (Ingram, 2013)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the status quo in the tourism market and introduces the central research question regarding the effects of films on tourist destination selection.
2. Core section: The core section provides a comprehensive literature review on film-induced tourism, the psychological formation of destination images, and the complexity of the tourist decision-making process, including detailed case studies of best-practice examples.
3. Conclusion and limitations: The final chapter summarizes the key findings of the thesis, confirming that films serve as influential cultural ambassadors that help to reduce perceived travel risks and enhance destination familiarity.
Keywords
Film tourism, destination image, location placement, tourist decision-making, consumer behaviour, AIDA model, Visitor Journey, film-induced tourism, destination marketing, Bollywood, cultural ambassador, epic storytelling, destination choice, tourism branding, media influence
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The work focuses on the interrelation between film-induced tourism, the construction of destination image, and how these factors impact the holiday decision-making process of potential tourists.
What are the central themes discussed in the publication?
The central themes include the psychological aspects of image formation, the role of media in consumer decision-making, the mechanism of location placement, and the strategic cooperation between the film and tourism industries.
What is the core research objective?
The objective is to investigate how films can effectively communicate a destination's image and to provide an overview of the mechanisms behind film-induced travel.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The research is grounded in a thorough literature review, synthesizing findings from academic sources on tourism, psychology, and marketing to build a conceptual framework.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body consists of a deep dive into literature, exploration of consumer behaviour models (like the AIDA and Visitor Journey), and an analysis of several real-world examples such as the UK, Austria, and the Bollywood industry.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include film tourism, destination image, location placement, visitor journey, and destination marketing.
How does the author explain the success of "The Sound of Music" in Salzburg?
The author identifies the film as a permanent cultural ambassador that creates lasting emotional associations, leading to thousands of annual visitors specifically seeking to experience the film's locations.
What is the significance of the "runaway production" concept mentioned in the text?
It refers to movies filmed in locations different from the ones they portray; the text notes that these can paradoxically be beneficial for tourism in both the filming and the depicted locations.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Bernadette Walcher (Autor:in), 2016, The effects of films on destination image and tourists’ decision making process, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/343311
