From Blockbuster to Neighbourhood Buster: The Effect of Films on Barcelona

Abstract

In recent years, cities such as Venice, Dubrovnik, Paris and Barcelona have experienced an exponential increase in visitor numbers leading to episodes of tourismphobia by anti-tourism movements, or even the decline of the destination. Among other solutions, some destinations see film-induced tourism as a possible way of diversifying tourism supply and demand. Through the analysis of the locations of six thematic film routes in Barcelona compared to the same locations on the largest online travel review platform, TripAdvisor, it is concluded that, far from spreading out tourist flows, fiction-induced tourism in Barcelona has concentrated tourism at the main attractions of the city. Only a few exceptions of films with minor audiences lead tourists off the beaten track. Overall, this paper provides a set of recommendations, strategies and challenges for destination managers to help alleviate overtourism and to offer more sustainable tourism away from spots that attract mass tourism.

Measuring Online Destination Image, Satisfaction, and Loyalty: Evidence from Barcelona Districts

“…After the Canary Islands, Catalonia is the second-most visited Spanish region by tourists [83]. It is one of the world's leading cities for hosting international conferences and cruise ships, and the city has been the setting for numerous films [84,85]. According to official figures [86], during 2019 Barcelona hosted 10,242,713 visitors in hotels, guesthouses, and inns (21,593,378 overnight stays) and 3,480,060 visitors in homes for tourist use (11,433,427 overnight stays).…”

Beyond the Giralda: Residents’ interpretations of the Seville portrayed in fictional movies and TV series

“…Given the role played by popular culture in travel decisions, film commissions should actively promote the use of new filming locations within an area and involve local communities in these discussions. Following Martin-Fuentes et al (2020), such diversification could improve the flow of tourists in overcrowded destinations. At a conceptual level, applying Liebes and Katz's (1990) categorizations to how media representations of place are decoded highlighted the importance of differentiating between two referentialreading levels: self-referential and non-self-referential.…”

“Nossa cidade, seu filme”: como as produções audiovisuais de São Paulo podem ser utilizadas como estratégia do city marketing?

“…As produções audiovisuais podem exercer maior influência e confiabilidade do que o marketing turístico tradicional, promovendo mudanças na imagem dos territórios, modificando a escolha, experiência e avaliação dos visitantes (Croy, 2011;Fuentes et al, 2020). Compreende-se que transformar o audiovisual em ferramenta de city marketing e recurso turístico é uma estratégia viável em um cenário que ocorra: valorização da identidade da comunidade local e a promoção da imagem do destino (Campo et al, 2014).…”