It's only make believe: the implications of fictional and authentic locations in films

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the extent to which film locations affect the decision making of tourists and overall attractiveness of film locations as tourist destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores the relative appeal of fictional and authentic film locations with reference to the literature and film case study examples.

Findings

Arguably, the attractiveness of an actual location shown in a film is greater than a location portrayed by a film, and when tourists do visit film locations in considerable numbers, the impacts are not always beneficial.

Practical implications

The paper uses examples to explore the scope and related impacts of film‐induced tourism.

Originality/value

The paper draws on a wide range of examples to highlight the implications of fictional and authentic locations in films.

Citation

Butler, R. (2011), "It's only make believe: the implications of fictional and authentic locations in films", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 91-101. https://doi.org/10.1108/17554211111122961