I’m still waiting for the day Edinburgh University hosts a party on the Old College quad so I can finally live out my One Day dreams, but for now, I’m still afraid to walk on the grass. Some cities are renowned as iconic filming spots—Edinburgh included—and run numerous cinematic tours for various shows and franchises. Plenty of Edinburgh tourists, in fact, come to the city for the sole purpose of partaking in a Harry Potter tour, visiting the real-life Diagon Alley (Victoria Street)—complete with an airport-security-style queue onto the street outside the infamous Harry Potter Emporium shop—or searching for Tom Riddle’s grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard. The film’s popularity has led to Harry Potter tourism in other parts of Scotland as well—I must confess I had to stifle my excitement when seeing the “Hogwarts Express” zoom across the Glenfinnan Viaduct before my eyes. My parents were oblivious to the Harry Potter craze, my father only delighted at seeing a steam train. Even as a child, I yearned to see Balamory in real life—nowadays, Tobermory, the filming location for the beloved children’s series, still reaps the benefits of the show’s popularity.
But why has film tourism recently taken off? Tourism has always been somewhat tied to the arts. Even before the age of film, people flocked to locations featured in their favourite novels. People have always desired to travel, to see places they have only read about in books. It’s hardly a new phenomenon.
And so, naturally, along with the film age, along came film tourism. A 2022 Expedia survey revealed that around two-thirds of all travellers base their trips around cinematic filming locations. The Lord of the Rings has brought millions to New Zealand since the first film’s release in 2001, and, similarly, Star Wars fanatics can visit Anakin and Padmé’s whimsical wedding spot on Naboo (Lake Como). There is a charm in visiting popular filming spots and being able to say, I was there!, marvelling at following in the footsteps of the dreamy Hollywood actor of your choosing.
As with many things, the popularity of film tourism is largely exacerbated by social media. The widespread accessibility of tourism videos means cinematic tour trip ideas reach a wider audience. In recent years, many have coined this the “White Lotus Effect,” referring to the popularity of HBO’s The White Lotus and the demand for the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Hawaii since the first season’s release. When viewers settled down during lockdown to escape to this fictional tropical paradise, they naturally found themselves itching to see it for themselves. Luckily, the beauty of this hotel is far from fictional, offering an escape that attracts thousands of tourists desperate to indulge in luxury at a ludicrously high price (up to 25,000 dollars per night). Film tourism can allow fans to melt away into their favourite fictional worlds for a moment. It can be beneficial to the visiting locations too. Highclere Castle, known for its use in the period drama Downton Abbey, benefits financially from the influx of tourists who flock to the stately home every year.
But this can also cause problems. Not only does this make even some of the most secluded spots in the world catastrophically overpopulated—leading to increased queues, prices, and numerous photo ops—but it also has a negative impact on the environment. The 2000 thriller The Beach, starring a young Leonardo DiCaprio, drew in so many tourists to a secluded beach in Thailand that, in 2018, it was forced to close to the public. The constant stream of tourists keen to visit the filming location had trampled the natural ecosystem and coral reefs within the area—part of the reason why the beach had such a magical magnetism in the first place. So, next time you visit an iconic location, make sure to stick to tourist guidelines. Meanwhile, if you catch me standing on the Vennel Steps and pretending I’m Emma from One Day, then no you didn’t, it wasn’t me.
“Diagon Alley ish” by joiseyshowaa is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.