Always a Classic: Leveraging Screen Tourism for Oscar-Inspired Content

The nominees have been announced, the red carpet has been unrolled, and that can only mean one thing: The Oscars are almost upon us.

We can’t give you a steer on this year’s winners, but we can tell you that screen tourism remains an enduring force within the travel industry. With the power to connect movie buffs with the places they see on screen. With more and more travellers joyfully discovering the locations they see in their favourite films, we explore what this golden opportunity means for destinations as they work to build their brands, attract visitors, and generate content that is truly impactful.
 

As Seen on Screen: Client Destinations at the 97th Annual Academy Awards

Every destination can — in one way or another — claim a connection to the film industry. Yet when it comes to adding a sheen of glitz and glamour, the Oscars are in a class of their own. Here at Simpleview, we’re proud to say that a number of our clients feature prominently as filming locations among this year’s raft of Oscar nominees.

For example, “Wicked” buffs know that the Seven Sisters Country Park in East Sussex serves as the filming location for the Venice-like waterways leading up to Shiz University. One of this year’s nominees within the Best Animated Feature category — “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” — was created by none other than the Bristol-based Aardman Animation studios. Looking across the Atlantic, while “Challengers” — the romantic sports drama set in Boston — controversially failed to get any nominations, “Nickel Boys” — shot partially in New Orleans — is up for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
 

The Enduring Power of Screen Tourism

Even if a destination can’t make any kind of genuine connection to this year’s Oscars, screen tourism continues to be a powerful force within the industry. Indeed, Visit Britain’s “Starring GREAT Britain” campaign is a true testament to the growing popularity of screen tourism. Among the many findings in its recent report, Visit Britain — the body responsible for marketing the UK as a destination to the rest of the world — noted that screen tourism has long been a key draw among those who come to the UK.

Interestingly, Visit Britain’s research also indicates that screen tourism even has an influence on the decisions that visitors make well before they arrive in the UK, with many travellers building itineraries to include visits to the places that are connected with their favourite British films.

These findings also reveal that while screen tourism is popular among all demographics, this is a trend that truly resonates with younger travellers, particularly among those aged 18-34.

While London is certainly a magnet for inbound visitors to the UK thanks to its prominence in films, this video, created as part of Visit Britain’s campaign, invites visitors to explore further afield. In only four minutes, it takes travellers on a whirlwind journey across the nation, using drama and humour — and a couple of very famous faces — to highlight the many places that have served as the backdrop to any number of famous films. Among the destinations we represent, we’re proud to say that Manchester, Cumbria, Brighton, Northern Ireland, Leicester, Birmingham and the West Midlands, Liverpool, and Scotland feature prominently in the organisation’s multi-year campaign. Not only that, but these destinations are also actively tapping into their screen presences to take advantage of all the benefits that film tourism has to offer.
 

Putting Your Destination in the Spotlight with Creative Content

Expansive, elastic, and exciting: One of the best aspects of screen tourism is that it offers destinations multiple angles to shine via the creativity of their content. By leveraging their unique connection to the film industry, destinations can capture imaginations in a manner that benefits the places they represent as well as the movie buffs eager to explore them. As the following examples show, well-angled content can also be used to attract film industry pros in the process of scouting for the perfect location for their next shoot.

On the back of all this, here are some suggestions and real-world examples to build content and excitement around screen tourism:

1. Create a standalone film tourism page on your destination’s website, listing the locations seen on screen within the place you represent. Among Simpleview’s global clients, both Discover Northern Ireland and New Orleans & Company are great examples of how destinations can round-up their fabulous filming locations in a single page.
    
2. Looking for something a bit more interactive? Try a map to offer an at-a-glance reference to the filming locations found within your destination. This creative content method has been put to good effect by Visit Bristol.
    
3. If you’re looking to appeal directly to film industry professionals, consider creating a page with everything they need to know about filming in your area. Create content that makes it easy for them to choose your destination as their location of choice. This is a move that’s been thoughtfully executed by San Francisco Peninsula, one of our North American clients.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of suggestions, but we hope that these broad points sow the seeds of inspiration, helping you to create the kind of content that will ensure that your destination gets its share of the spotlight.