Film-Induced Tourism, Destination Branding and Game of Thrones: A Review of the Peñíscola de Cine Project

Pablo Jesús Huerta-Viso, Germán Llorca Abad and Lourdes Canós-Darós ()
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Pablo Jesús Huerta-Viso: Department of Language Theory and Communication Sciences, Facultad de Filología Traducción y Comunicación, Universitat de València (UV), Blasco Ibáñez Avenue 32, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Germán Llorca Abad: Department of Audiovisual Communication, Documentation and History of Art, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Gandia (EPSG), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Paranimf Street 1, 46730 Gandia, Spain
Lourdes Canós-Darós: Business Management Department, Facultad de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (FADE), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: This paper addresses an alternative perspective on tourism success, emphasising sustainability over traditional quantitative metrics such as arrival numbers. It explores the impact of fiction films and TV series on individuals’ mental representations of destinations featured on screen, as well as the capacity of film discourse to construct a brand aligned with local stakeholders’ interests. Qualitative methods have been employed, conducting a literature review on sustainable film tourism and destination branding. Local news and an interview with the head of the Peñíscola Film Office complemented academic insights. The primary goal is to examine the “Peñíscola de Cine” project as a paradigm of success, initiated by the city council of Peñíscola, Spain. This project positions the municipality as a natural film set through productions like Game of Thrones (2011–2019), illustrating how film can contribute to destination branding and community engagement. The study highlights the positive contribution of film tourism to sustainability by diversifying and de-seasonalising a territory’s offerings. It also attracts a more educated and environmentally conscious audience. However, it cautiously discusses the potential risks, as evidenced by misapplications in Goathland, England, and Skellig Michael, Ireland, following their appearances in Heartbeat (1992–2010) and Star Wars (1977–2019), respectively. The paper concludes by suggesting film-friendly measures for destination management organizations (DMOs), emphasising the pivotal role of film commissions and film offices in crafting effective marketing strategies and capturing the interest of audiovisual production companies.

Keywords: film-induced tourism; destination branding; film discourse; sustainable tourism; Game of Thrones; Peñíscola (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2023:i:1:p:186-:d:1306953

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