This paper presents a review and discussion of the role image plays in service promotion and consumer choice in the context of film‐induced tourism. Consumers can be very sensitive to images which are important determinants of what a service customer purchases. In relation to image, the medium of film can have a very influential impact on its audience. Consumers may make purchase choices in a range of areas as a result of what they have seen in the movies. An expanding body of literature suggests that film can influence people's travel decisions and entice them to visit particular destinations they have seen on the cinema screen (reinforced through repeat viewing on video, DVD and television). Tourism is a service industry. Does the image of a destination and how it is represented help overcome some of the challenges of service marketing? Many regions throughout the British Isles have seen their consumer appeal improve because of their links with respective film and television productions. Although they have benefited tourism‐wise from this, in many cases there still has not been enough real support from tourist authorities to this growth phenomenon, and as such, the full potential of film to tap into the consumer psyche has not yet been fully realized. Academic discourse from several disciplines is examined in this communication culminating in a conceptual model of destination enhancement through film‐induced image, featuring the conscious and unconscious communication factors at work on two sets of consumers (film consumers and destination consumers). As a ‘work in progress’, the paper sets the scene for further empirical research in this interesting area of study.

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Purpose The use of “special events” as an attractor for destinations in the smart tourism paradigm has been suggested as one element of an effective destination strategy. This study aims to create new understandings of this potentiality by exploring an event from a participant perspective in smart tourism contexts by creating a model integrating factors impacting the smart event experience. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted five online focus groups by using Facebook secret groups to engage spectators of an international sports event. Discussions focussed on the digital event experience with particular reference to the event app. A subsequent interpretative phenomenological analysis facilitated the examination of how people make sense of this digital phenomenon and the impact on the overall event experience. Findings The findings demonstrate an increasing demand for real-time event integrative information, with more immersive and augmented experiences often sought by users. This has significant implications for the management of the digital event experience for all event stakeholders. Research limitations/implications This study is limited in its analysis of the smart event experience because of the use of a purposive sample from the International NW200 Event in Northern Ireland, which may limit the generalisability of research findings. Originality/value The study therefore, meets a critical gap in existent literature by providing the first event experience model in a smart tourism context and presenting the interlocking elements through the 4P’s (people, processes, personalisation and places) and 7R’s (rituals, realms, realities, renewal, review, relational and resourcing) of digital event experience.

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This article explores the integration of film-induced tourism and destination branding upon locations featuring in a film. Northern Ireland and the film The Chronicles of Narnia—the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) are the case study under investigation. The researchers' hypothesis is that a brand based on the image derived from a film may be a strong means of marketing the area and supporting tourism even when the film is shot elsewhere. This was initially tested through key informant interviews with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) to assess the linkages between film-induced tourism and destination branding. The review of existing academic literature identified a gap in previous investigations, which indicated that there has been little focused research on this phenomenon, particularly in the Irish context. In response, the interviews undertaken were an initial attempt to fill this gap. The findings from these interviews and the issues that emerged from the literature review highlighted a number of implications for the future branding of such destinations. If such implications are adhered to, destinations such as Northern Ireland can strive to brand themselves more effectively in association with film, as seen with New Zealand and The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) trilogy.