Whether it’s strolling along the Sussex Heritage Coast which featured in the dramatic opening scenes of Wicked, hiking across the rugged Scottish mountain glens featured in Outlander or visiting the 28 Years Later sanctuary of Holy Island (Lindisfarne) in North East England, overseas and British tourists are actively seeking out film and television locations.
In 2023 the British Film Commission (BFC) signed a memorandum of understanding with VisitBritain (the moniker of the British Tourist Authority) with the intention of boosting screen tourism throughout all of the UK’s nations and regions.
“The UK’s film and TV industry has consistently attracted the world’s largest productions with our diverse range of filming locations and talented crew base,” noted BFC chief executive Adrian Wootton at the time. “We’re working closely with VisitBritain to spotlight the exceptional range of our film and TV industry, boosting local economies throughout the UK in the process.’’
Recent VisitBritain research shows that while on a leisure trip in the UK, seven in ten UK visitors have been to a film or TV location and, amongst those that would consider coming to the UK in the future, nine in ten would be interested in doing so. To help meet such appetites, VisitBritain launched a global screen tourism campaign casting the UK as the ‘reel’ star.
The ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign uses storytelling seen in cinemas and global platforms and places ‘seen-on-screen’ to inspire international visitors to come to the UK, stay longer and explore more.
“Films, TV and tourism have a lot in common,” says VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates. “They bring people together. They foster emotional connections. They can transport us to new places, experiences and adventures. With Great Britain providing centuries of inspiration and locations for stories brought to life on the silver screen, film loving visitors are spoilt for choice.”
Added value
The Starring GREAT Britain campaign has generated an estimated £217m in additional spending by international visitors from its launch in January to June this year. For every pound invested in the campaign, visitors spent an additional £20 on their trips across the UK.
“We have attracted £12.4m in private sector IP, commercial partnerships and value-in-kind,” notes Yates. “At a time where the Government is looking for growth sectors, this figure demonstrates how investment in demand generation can deliver immediate value for our economy.”
After the success of the first Wicked live-action film - which secured ten Oscar nominations and won two, for best production design and best costume design - audiences will now be flocking to sequel Wicked: For Good. While the second movie’s filming locations are largely under wraps, a trip to key outdoor locations could include a return to the Seven Sisters Country Park in East Sussex, home to the chalk cliffs featured in the original’s opening scenes.
Other eye-catching film and HETV productions using UK locations as an additional character include zombie actioner 28 Years Later, which shot in the North East. Now, North East Screen and Visit Britain are collaborating on a tourism initiative to promote locations used in the region.
London is home to key locations from TV hit Slow Horses along with a wealth of other film and HETV favourites from Notting Hill and the Paddington series to the recent Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. This year’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning sees star Tom Cruise in action at a host of the capital’s top spots, including Westminster Bridge and the Houses Of Parliament.
Elsewhere, the upcoming Peaky Blinders series filmed in Birmingham and throughout North West England, as did HETV show House Of Guinness, which shot predominantly in Manchester and Liverpool. Tourists can also visit Berkshire’s impressive Englesfield Estate, where The Thursday Murder Club was set, and the Black Country Living Museum in the West Midlands where Peaky Blinders also filmed.
North of the border, Glasgow is a key stop, the city having most recently hosted Edgar Wright’s The Running Man starring Glen Powell and superhero actioner Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In Edinburgh, tourists can take a walk through the streets of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. James Bond fans can take a self-drive tour through the franchise’s Scottish Highlands locations, and there is also a VisitScotland tailored tour for fans Sony/Starz HETV show Outlander and Outlander: Blood Of My Blood.
Focus Features’ recent drama Anemone, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, shot in a variety of North Wales locations; the country also features a wealth of locations from hugely popular TV shows Doctor Who and Sex Education.
In Northern Ireland, Game Of Thrones fans can embark on a tour of the principal studio in Banbridge, while upcoming adventure series A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms filmed in various locations across Northern Ireland.
Other new projects expected to capture the attention of film tourists include Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, filmed in Yorkshire (also home to popular TV series All Creatures Great And Small), Sam Mendes’ The Beatles: A Four Film Cinematic Event and the highly-anticipated HETV Harry Potter series.
Holding interest
“Location tourism and spin-offs about the history of a location can add value to the productions, because they can fill the gap, and they can excite and engage the viewer,” says Seren Welch, director of screen tourism marketing specialist SW Consulting. Welch has over 25 years experience in the field, and while at VisitBritain, Welch led on consumer product development, which included delivering global campaigns from Harry Potter to Downton Abbey and Bond.
Over the last 12 years Welch has worked closely with the US Broadcaster WGBH Masterpiece (PBS) helping them bring to life the locations narrative for shows such as Victoria, Mr Selfridge, Sherlock, Poldark and All Creatures Great And Small. She has also assisted destinations and businesses with product development and partnership building, helping them benefit from film releases and the rise in HETV opportunities.
“Viewers have so much passion for the characters and narrative, they need to be drip fed to keep them hanging on until the next series,” notes Welch, who points out that there is now more behind-the-scenes footage being shot on location. “You have these little nuggets that they can drop after they’ve screened the series to keep viewers engaged.”
Further afield
The BFC and VisitBritain also sees value in beyond border collaborations.
“Our relationship with the British Film Commission is rooted in shared ambition and complementary strengths,” says Norwegian Film Commission CEO Meghan Beaton. “Together, we’re committed to showing how international cooperation can amplify the creative and economic impact of filmmaking in our countries — and to promoting Europe as a truly film-friendly, creatively rich region.”
When productions such as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning film extensively across both countries, it tells a story about collaboration and inspires audiences to travel.
Says Beaton: “That’s the power of screen tourism in action.”
The BFC and VisitBritain will be present at the Set-Jet 25: The World Screen Tourism Summit on November 21 at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. https://set-jet25.net/
