20 March 2006 Film tourism 'relevant' field for New Zealand

While the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia are acknowledged Hollywood blockbusters that dramatically showcased New Zealand locations to the world like never before, Lincoln University doctoral student Anne Buchmann finds it curious that their Kiwi locations still attract large numbers of tourists even though the sets have been dismantled and removed, while locations for films like Whale Rider and The Last Samurai remain naturally intact yet are less visited by tourists.

It's a point worth thinking about in relation to the role of fantasy, the power of myths and the strength of irrationality, says Anne, who has spent the past three years studying films made in New Zealand and their locations.

A social science student at Lincoln, with a background in environmental science and sociology, Anne is doing a PhD at Lincoln University in the academically little explored area of "film tourism".

With New Zealand's flourishing film industry and high international profile as a tourist destination, film tourism is suddenly a "very relevant" field of study, she says.

"Film tourism is about tourists, domestic and international, visiting a place that is or has been used for filming purposes.

"The aim of my project is to understand the motivations, expectations and experiences of these visitors."

Anne is now in the third and final year of her doctoral study and in the thesis writing stage.

Although there are references to film tourism all over the world, little systematic academic research has been done on the subject so far, so she is in pioneering territory.

Working under the supervision of Lincoln University senior lecturers Dr Kevin Moore (psychology) and Dr David Fisher (tourism), Anne says she believes there is something unique about this form of special interest tourism, something more than just the obvious.

"It comes down to visiting a place that doesn't exist in real life, and you could say that's not a very rational thing to do, but people report all different types of motivation and it's the film experience that unites them.

"For some there's an element of the 'pilgrimage' – the experience is part of a progressive spirituality in their lives.

"For others it is simply part of the New Zealand outdoor, wilderness experience."

Anne says there are between 60 and 70 different locations throughout New Zealand that have featured as major sites for films and she has visited most of them.

"My field work has involved a lot of field work and a lot of travel," she says.

Her personal favourite film is one called Willow, filmed around Queenstown. It was never in the blockbuster category but, in Anne's words, it is a "beautiful film" that deserved more attention.

Anne is studying with Lincoln University's Environment, Society and Design Division, which as the name suggests, is the home division for Lincoln University's programmes in the social sciences (including tourism), the environment and landscape.