It's only make believe: the implications of fictional and authentic locations in films

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the extent to which film locations affect the decision making of tourists and overall attractiveness of film locations as tourist destinations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores the relative appeal of fictional and authentic film locations with reference to the literature and film case study examples. Findings – Arguably, the attractiveness of an actual location shown in a film is greater than a location portrayed by a film, and when tourists do visit film locations in considerable numbers, the impacts are not always beneficial. Practical implications – The paper uses examples to explore the scope and related impacts of film‐induced tourism. Originality/value – The paper draws on a wide range of examples to highlight the implications of fictional and authentic locations in films.