A critical examination of film tourism planning and management in Portugal

Abstract

Film tourism has gained significant notoriety in recent years, emerging as a prominent phenomenon to promote destinations, attract visitors, and stimulate economic and social development. Despite the popularity of Portugal as a filming destination, the extent to which film tourism in Portugal is planned for and managed is currently unknown. Thus, this research examines the current provision and implementation of strategies to plan for and manage film tourism at a national and regional level in Portugal through a quantitative content analysis approach to existing tourism planning and management plans and strategies in Portugal. Findings revealed an overwhelming lack of planning provision for film tourism at national and regional levels. Although some regions appear to promote film tourism, no transparent efforts are being made to plan for or manage its development or impacts sustainably. As such, there is a need for a more strategic and sustainable approach to planning for and managing film tourism at regional and local levels. This could ensure that destinations harness, in the long-term, the multifaceted benefits that can be derived from film tourism while also ensuring that the negative implications of film tourism activities are minimised or mitigated to preserve the sustainability and competitiveness of the film tourism industry.

Keywords

• film tourism
• portugal
• tourism planning
• tourism management
• tourism impacts