Film-Induced Tourism as a Key Factor for Promoting Tourism Destination Image: The James Bond Saga Case

Abstract

This research extensively discusses the connection between destination image and films influencing tourism. Despite the worldwide fame of the James Bond saga and extensive publications on the subject, research into the role of tourism promotion in the image of destinations is still scarce, and there is no specific focus on analysing promotional aspects in relation to film-induced tourism. This study focuses on the influence of cinematographic images on the destination image perception and promotion, specifically exploring the case of the James Bond saga as a practical case. With 25 films released since 1962, the James Bond saga provides a basis for evaluating cinematic presence in tourism promotion strategies. This research proposes the content analysis of the official tourist websites of 23 destinations where the James Bond saga was shot, which offer some tourist products linked to the saga. The key findings provide valuable insights into the promotion of James Bond saga tourism destinations, the role of films in promoting destinations, and the tourism products developed from the saga films. The results provide visual outputs about the target image of the film shooting locations, and the text analysis provides keywords linked to the theme. The study’s methodology contributes to the discourse on film tourism and destination image topics and brings practical and theoretical contributions to both academia and destination managers.