Abstract
Film tourism has been researched now for many years and the consequences of post-production are clear. However, there has been little opportunity to explore the perceptions of filming, pre-production, until now. Using a case study approach to the making of one particular Hollywood film on a rural location, the paper focuses on evaluating the business of film tourism and establishing the perceived impacts of film tourism from advanced practitioners and local residents, respectively. Two stages of data collection were adopted during pre-production: elite interviews and focus groups. The findings reveal that the role of each practitioner shapes their level of understanding and knowledge about the myths of Glastonbury, and their evaluation of the debate surrounding creative accuracy versus commercial creativity. Concern over the costs of film-induced travel were also noted, and echoed by residents. However, for residents, uncertainty, a lack of detailed knowledge, and scepticism about the film’s content proved more significant, rather than pre-existing issues faced by the town and expressed by the practitioners. Therefore, it is suggested that practitioners should forge partnerships through tourism collaboration but at the same time they need to manage local residents to ensure they respond to their concerns surrounding corporate takeovers and the commercialisation of their culture, rather than just issues of congestion and transportation.
Publication Date
2014-12-15
Publication Title
Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice
Volume
6
Issue
2
Publisher
University of Plymouth
Embargo Period
2024-11-19
Keywords
Film tourism, Film-induced travel, Glastonbury, tourism impacts, resident perception, pre-production
First Page
23
Last Page
53
Recommended Citation
Semley, N., & Busby, G. (2014) 'Film tourism: the pre-production perspective. A case study of Visit Somerset and the Hollywood story of Glastonbury.', Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice, 6(2), pp. 23-53. University of Plymouth: Retrieved from https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/pbs-research/482