FILM TOURISM: WHEN SERIES BOOSTS FRENCH TOURISM

Many tourists in Paris now follow Emily’s footsteps in Paris by choosing to visit the Latin Quarter. They visit the city specifically to see locations from the popular Netflix series.

Film tourism, the desire to visit movie locations, is not a new phenomenon, but it has become more common since 2018 thanks to the rise of streaming platforms.

A recent study by the Center National de la Cinematographie (CNC) shows that foreign TV series shot in France or series for foreign platforms are among the most popular series among tourists. According to the survey, 79 percent of surveyed tourists claimed to have watched at least one TV series from the list; This rate is a significant increase compared to 39 percent in 2018.

Chinese people are very interested in French literature.

French mythology has become a special attraction for tourists. According to a recent survey, eight in ten foreigners say French movies or TV series inspired them to come to France. One in ten tourists decided to visit France simply because of a French movie or TV series they watched. Interestingly, the Chinese who are not very familiar with French mythology are the most receptive to this. Movies and TV series shot in France motivate them more to visit France than tourists from other countries. The two most popular French television series among tourists are Emily in Paris (mentioned by 38% of film tourists in France) and Lupine (11%). Even purely French plays such as Intouchables and Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain are popular with foreign tourists.

One in four French tourists visited the film location.

According to CNC, 22% of French visitors went to the film location after watching it. The research shows that Parisians under the age of 35 visit these places more often. Two of the most popular films that increased the number of tourists in the Nord and Arcachon basins were Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (Welcome to the Sticks) and Les Petits Mouchoirs (The Little Handkerchiefs). HPI and Plus belle la vie, about the Nord and Marseille regions, were two of the most popular TV series among French tourists.

Thanks to broadcast platforms, audiovisual productions have become an effective way to promote different regions. According to CNC, this has led to positive images of various places. However, the disadvantage of such promotions is that it can lead to overcrowding of the site due to the buzz effect. For example, in Étretat, a seaside town with a population of 1,200, more than 10,000 visitors flock to the town every day during the summer months to see the cliffs made famous by the Lupine series and have become Instagram-worthy spots.