Furthermore, Ritchie (1984) and Riley and Van Doren (1992) have referred to major films as “hallmark events” or special tourism for the potential impacts that they can have on a destination.
Comparing films to events as part of destination promotion,
albeit not necessarily controlled, has also been subject to discussion (Riley and VanDoren, 1992).
Films are not produced with the purpose of inducing tourism visitation;
however, it is widely acknowledged that films, particularly feature films which enjoy a mass audience, lead to an enhancement of location and destination awareness and therefore appeal to potential tourists (Riley and Van Doren, 1992). This is supported by Evans (2004) who refers to series of major films as franchises which give destinations a longer and sustained opportunity to appear on screen and related media.