Conclusion—Critical Discussion and Limitations
This paper has reviewed existing literature and case studies in order to highlight the current
state of research by taking a broad brush through the definitions of film tourism as well as
related concepts and film tourist motivation and typologies, identifying some areas that are
still begging for more detailed research. While much investigation into this topic has been
carried out recently and is still to follow, current academic literature is yet scattered and
currently only one book is available on this topic. The phenomenon is approached from
various angles within tourism—mostly focusing on tourist motivation, consumption and
behaviour or marketing. It has been highlighted that much focus is still on the tourism
side—taking film (and wider communication or media) studies into account in research
could shed further light on the issue of understanding this concept. Alternative research
disciplines such as geography, sociology, cultural studies and arguably most importantly
film studies could further help us with the investigation of film tourism. What this paper
has found is that there are still many gaps in the research into film tourism, consequently
hindering the successful planning for sustainable film tourism.
Film tourism planning has not received much attention, and while film tourism has been
treated as the new market opportunity for many (new or existing) destinations, not many
have questioned the sustainability of this type of tourism. Does film tourism deserve its
own planning agenda? Having identified that films as part of the media are an extension
of our individual (and tourists’) worldview but does not create a new one, maybe film
tourism should not be considered in its own right. Film could be taken as a trigger for
the type of tourism that it stands for. If Braveheart put Scotland’s highlands and Lord
of the Rings put New Zealand’s natural scenery on the map, did it just encourage the
nature tourist? Slumdog Millionaire attracts slum tourism—if people go to see a social
drama (albeit fictional), then their interest in this type of movie is extended through
their tourist consumption and behaviour. The primary role that film plays in tourism motivation
has been discussed widely, but yet there is no holistic understanding of film tourism.
Even if we consider film tourism in its own right, the various roles that stakeholders play
in the planning process as highlighted in the preceding discussion show that there is potential
for conflicting relationships due to the different levels of power and interest in the