Developing Screen Tourism

Did you know that one in five tourists is influenced by what they see on screen in making their destination choice and that research published by the British Film Institute found that inbound tourists to the UK spent an estimated £597.7 million on film-related screen tourism in 2016?

As a result of our screen tourism work in Kent and Hertfordshire, Go To Places offers a unique perspective on how to maximise opportunities around film and TV for your destination. Through cross-sector collaboration we can help you achieve benefits for your destination, businesses and communities at all stages from production, through to release and beyond. Whether you’re looking to develop your local supply chain, attract more screen tourists to the area or position your destination to attract more filming, our team are able to support.

All of our packages and services can be tailored to requirements and have been divided into three phases depending on where you are on your screen destination development journey.

Phase One - Understanding Your Offer

Product audit - a product audit will review a destination’s existing tourism offering and its strengths and opportunities around local high-profile film and TV dramas which are shot locally.  An audit will also review target UK and international viewing audiences and how they overlay with best prospect domestic and international visitors.

B2B toolkit - we can produce a tailored toolkit for businesses which includes an outline of the production process and how they can benefit at each stage.  This is supported with key information sources and guidance on what makes a good screen tourism experience, how to develop great product that isn’t reliant on copyright, the benefits from working in partnership with the travel trade to reach an international audience and how to make the most of UK and international release dates and network scheduling as part of a marketing plan.

Visitor/audience research - we can conduct visitor/audience research in order to obtain insights into the perceptions and travel preferences of visitors and potential visitors to the destination. The research will consider both past and potential visitors, alongside local residents which will supply a comprehensive view of how the destination is perceived, including feedback and insight into trip characteristics and intentions, key audiences, decision-influencers, in addition to sources used when planning and booking lead time.

Screen tourism product testing – we can conduct independent consumer product testing of existing and/or new concepts of screen tourism products which provides vital feedback to help further develop the destinations screen tourism offering and marketing activity.

Phase Two - Developing Screen Tourism

Screen tourism product development programme -  our programme aims to support businesses to develop screen related experiences to create new revenue streams, attract new markets and encourage visitors throughout the year, including to less-visited areas across the destination.  Businesses will be provided with expert advice and the support needed to turn ideas into new visitor products, ready to be taken to market. Depending on the required outcomes, the level of support can be tailored to accommodate the needs of the destination and/or businesses. 

B2B product testing - B2B product testing aims to engage with and collect data and insights from the travel trade including domestic and international tour operators, DMCs and agents that will inform the development of these new products and the B2B/ trade marketing strategy for screen tourism products.

Trade trade distribution - the screen tourism products that are ready to be taken to market and the insights provided by the B2B product testing will inform the recommended travel trade distribution activity. This may consist of a travel trade fam trip organised and managed by our in house travel trade team to showcase the range of screen related experiences available or a travel trade distribution partnership. Whatever the approach taken, we will leverage our industry contacts and knowledge of the market to open up distribution opportunities in new markets.

Bespoke marketing campaigns – we develop engaging screen tourism focused campaigns to capitalise on existing screen product or upcoming film opportunities to raise the profile of the screen tourism destination.  We can create content for your website, digital campaigns and PR activity (including influencer trips), destination imagery and videos and a screen tourism destination competition.

Phase Three - Developing a Film-Friendly Destination

A cross-sector joint working framework will identify opportunities for economies of scale which will ensure that the wider community benefits from the opportunities filming brings to the area. This place-based approach would review working relationships and communication channels between key strategic organisations to pinpoint how each can work together to develop a film friendly destination, kickstart innovation by supporting the creative industries’ supply chain, investing in creative skills, capitalising on post-production screen tourism opportunities and knowledge exchange.

Film-friendly destination campaign – a dedicated film friendly destination campaign will highlight key filming locations, facilities, skills and supply chains such as studios and accommodation the destination has to offer.

Asset development - we can provide destination imagery, video asset creation, digital campaigns and content for your film office website which highlights the film friendly offering.  We can help with distribution to industry through relevant digital channels to drive enquiries and engagement with your local film office. We can also deliver a competition for industry to win a leisure break in the destination.

B2B education workshops - our workshops will help local tourism and hospitality businesses find out how to tap into supply chain opportunities such as becoming a filming location, offering cast and crew accommodation and/or providing on set catering or audio-visual services.  The session will provide businesses with an insight into production process, the expectations of the industry and how to tap into the available opportunities.

Talk to us today about your destination's screen tourism requirements

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