Tourism Industry’s Synergies with Cultural and Creative Industries as Marketing Tools: The Case Study of Film-Induced Tourism in Greece

The synergy of film and tourism industries has been the subject of much research, focusing on the ways a film can promote possible destination images, adding to the growth of tourism in the location the film is filmed. By creating associations with the location and the story, films motivate potential tourists to visit the lands, re-experience the depicted scenes and/or personalize the film seen. Greece is one of the countries that has appeared in many Hollywood film productions. From The Boy on a Dolphin (1957) to Mamma Mia 3 (2023), research shows an increase in visitor numbers at the filmed locations. The paper uses content analysis in 11 films filmed in Greece, in order to examine the visual mechanisms used to highlight the signs that denote Greekness. The paper shows that film productions shot in Greek locations—seen as important destination marketing tools—single out specific destination images and promote specific Greek signs—mostly familiar and recognizable “markers”.