Exploring the role of film in promoting domestic tourism: A case study of Al Fayoum, Egypt

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the effects of film on the perceived image of the domestic destination portrayed in the film, and it offers insight to understand the recently emerging field of film-induced tourism. Films have the potential to offer fantastic marketing opportunities as they act as virtual holiday brochures. A strong film industry also helps in successful film tourism, whether on the domestic or the regional scale. The literature review revealed that little is known about the effect of film on domestic tourism. Furthermore, there is a shortage of research into eastern settings where the film is not in English; there is also a deficiency of studies on the issue of film-induced tourism in the Middle East region. The current study aims at filling this gap and contributes to the existing film-induced tourism literature by assessing the perception of a domestic tourist destination before and after watching a film featuring this destination. To fulfill this aim, a questionnaire containing 19 image attributes drawn from the literature was designed and a paired sample t-test on these attributes was applied. The study also examines the influence of the different film elements on the tendency to visit the filmed location. The findings of the study generally affirm the notion that films could positively affect audiences' perceptions of domestic destination in various ways. Practical implications and succeeding research directions are highlighted.

Sustainable Tourism: A Hidden Theory of the Cinematic Image? A Theoretical and Visual Analysis of the Way of St. James

“…Whereas Karpovich [31] is one of several researchers to state that film tourism, teletourism, and movie tourism are the same concept, Torchin [32] distinguished between movie-and television-induced tourism, asserting that television has a longer, more levelled impact on featured localities because it has lasting appeal, drawing visitors for many years [33]. Previous studies have shown that television programs actively increase visitor numbers to certain destinations [16,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40] or cause increased interest in these places [41]. Quite possibly, viewing localities through visual media is even a destination experience itself, offering the opportunity to gather additional information [14,40].…”

How do Saudi Arabians Perceive the Egyptian Tourist Destination through Drama and Films?

“…Soliman [58] comparing students' destination image before and after watching the film Captain Hima on domestic tourism in Egypt, he found that the attitude towards Al Fayoum changed favourably and some students indicated an interest in visiting the place affected by the beautiful landscapes viewed in that film.…”

Resident reactions to a tourism incident

“…More broadly, user-generated content on the web has been found to contribute to destination image formation (Munar, 2011), and to destination marketing through its role in creating and recreating media content (Månsson, 2011). Positive portrayals of destinations generate positive audience perceptions (Soliman, 2011), while negative coverage evokes negative sentiments in viewers and resultantly fosters negative destination images (Alvarez & Campo, 2011).…”