Film tourism: the pre-production perspective. A case study of Visit Somerset and the Hollywood story of Glastonbury

Abstract

Film tourism has been researched now for many years and the consequences of post-production are clear. However, there has been little opportunity to explore the perceptions of filming, pre-production, until now. Using a case study approach to the making of one particular Hollywood film on a rural location, the paper focuses on evaluating the business of film tourism and establishing the perceived impacts of film tourism from advanced practitioners and local residents, respectively. Two stages of data collection were adopted during pre-production: elite interviews and focus groups. The findings reveal that the role of each practitioner shapes their level of understanding and knowledge about the myths of Glastonbury, and their evaluation of the debate surrounding creative accuracy versus commercial creativity. Concern over the costs of film-induced travel were also noted, and echoed by residents. However, for residents, uncertainty, a lack of detailed knowledge, and scepticism about the film’s content proved more significant, rather than pre-existing issues faced by the town and expressed by the practitioners. Therefore, it is suggested that practitioners should forge partnerships through tourism collaboration but at the same time they need to manage local residents to ensure they respond to their concerns surrounding corporate takeovers and the commercialisation of their culture, rather than just issues of congestion and transportation.