Projecting an Image: TV Series Amor Amor and Lua de Mel and the Impacts of Film-Induced Tourism in Penafiel

The image of a touristic destination is a complex construction based on different sources of information. Among them we can highlight the films and television series as they are an excellent tool for promoting tourism for the territories where they are filmed. The appearance of a particular area in a film or television series can have a huge effect on the number of visitors of an already existing place and create a new kind of tourism to the area and generate a boost for the local economy. The main objective of this article is to analyze the impact of the soap opera “Amor, Amor” and “Lua de Mel” that was broadcast at prime time in a Portuguese television channel, in the image of the city of Penafiel as a touristic destination. We intend to assess the short-term impacts of the great media exposure felt by the general population and, in particular, by the various stakeholders, on the influx of domestic tourists to this city; and the way this influx of tourists is being fostered in order to generate medium- and long-term revenue turning the small town of Penafiel into a tourist hotspot. We have done some literature review as well as an exploratory and quantitative investigation. The data collection was carried out with a questionnaire designed to be answered online by the inhabitants of Penafiel. The results of the analysis highlight the importance of films and series as important sources of information giving visibility to destinations that are still little known or not at all. Write the abstract of your paper here. It should not be more than 250 words.