Finally, the sustainability of film tourism has not been investigated in any detail. If there
is evidence to suggest that the film industry is to play a significant part in the tourism planning
process, the integration of all stakeholders in the development process could safeguard
the sustainable management of the tourism product. Similarly, if we take the
argument that films trigger existing types of tourism, then existing good practice from
these arenas can be taken into account. With good management practices communities
can actively participate and be involved in the process, and impacts on the physical
environment can be kept to the minimum. However, there is one variable within the
film planning process that is beyond control and which impacts significantly on the economic
sustainability and overall success of the film tourism product—the success of the
film. Through developing a film tourism product, this tourism product will automatically
and intrinsically be linked to the success of the film. Large-scale commercial movies such
as Lord of the Rings have shown that the impacts in general are positive and varied.
Following Ritchie’s (1984) comparison of films as mega events, the planning process
has to be adapted to the event planning process. However, even multiple releases and
re-releases cannot guarantee continuous success of the tourism product. Just as tourism,
film is for entertainment purposes and within a postmodern world, entertainment is
becoming increasingly short-lived and more volatile to consumer behaviour than ever
before, thereby challenging film tourism right from the beginning