Written by new-contact on Oct 9, 2012. Posted in General Interest

New James Bond thriller Skyfall could boost film tourism in Britain

A new film tourism campaign from VisitBritain is using the James Bond thriller Skyfall as a hook. It’s an obvious opportunity given that 2012 marks the Bond franchise’s 50th anniversary and much of Skyfall was filmed in London and Scotland.

Sandie Dawe is Chief Executive of VisitBritain: “007 has orchestrated many critical missions for Queen and country – including escorting Her Majesty to the fantastic Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Games – so it is only right that we call upon his services now to encourage more people to holiday in Britain.”

Film tourism is far from an exact science, although it’s known that many film fans like to visit the places where their favourite movies were shot. Sweden has looked closely into ways of benefitting from the global success of the original Millennium Trilogy and the English-language remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

New Zealand will be hoping for a new boost when Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films open, while countries around the world are lobbying for co-production agreements with India. Bollywood films seem to have a particularly potent impact on regional tourism figures, with Indian audiences especially hungry for new and exotic on-screen filming locations.

(Images: Francois Duhamel/United Artists/Columbia Pictures)