069 ⎢ From Crocodile Dundee to White Lotus: How Film Tourism Is Reshaping Travel Trends

In this engaging episode of the Tourism Hub Podcast, host Despina Karatzias uncovers the transformative power of film tourism and its profound impact on travel destinations. Despina takes listeners on a journey from the iconic Crocodile Dundee to the modern-day phenomenon of Mamma Mia and the critically acclaimed series The White Lotus, exploring how these cultural touchstones have shaped travel trends and influenced tourism in their respective locations.

Delving into the concept of discoverability, Despina highlights the role of digitisation and convergence in making destinations more accessible to potential visitors. She discusses the Mamma Mia effect on Greek tourism, illustrating how the film turned the islands of Skopelos and Skiathos into must-visit spots for fans of the musical. Similarly, she examines the surge in interest for locations featured in The White Lotus, showcasing the importance of strategic marketing by tourism boards to capitalise on this momentum.

However, the episode also serves as a cautionary tale, reflecting on the environmental consequences of over-tourism as illustrated by the impact of the film The Beach on Thailand's Maya Bay. Despina emphasises the need for responsible tourism practices to ensure that the excitement generated by film tourism does not come at the cost of ecological sustainability.

Listeners are encouraged to find their own 'Mamma Mia' moments, leveraging the power of storytelling and digital platforms to promote their unique destinations. Despina provides actionable takeaways for tourism professionals, urging them to embrace creativity, optimise discoverability, and plan for sustainability in their marketing strategies.

01:15 - The Power of Film Tourism

05:30 - Mamma Mia and Greek Tourism

10:00 - The White Lotus Effect

15:45 - The Cautionary Tale of Maya Bay

20:10 - Actionable Takeaways for Tourism Professionals

 

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Episode Transcript

>> Despina Karatzias (00:05):
Welcome to the Tourism Hub Podcast. A podcast
devoted to you and your excellence.
Providing inspiration and education for
the entrepreneurs, experience makers and
excellent seekers of our industry to take
your tourism business and career to a whole new
level.

(00:29):
Film tourism has a power. Power to turn a
movie set into a must see travel
destination. And sometimes a single scene
can do what a million dollar ad campaign
cannot. Welcome to the Tourism Hub
Podcast brought to you by the
Institute of Excellence, the home of tourism and small

(00:50):
business greatness. I am your proud host
Despina Coracias and if you find
this episode valuable, please be sure to
subscribe, leave a review and
share the tourism love to someone you know
and may benefit Now
Long before we were binge watching
Netflix or planning our holidays based on

(01:12):
hashtags and tiktoks and reels
in 1986,
Crocodile Dundee did something
legendary for Australia.
With one oversized knife and a thick,
thick Aussie accent, he helped catapult
Australia, particularly the Outback, onto
the global travel radar.

(01:35):
All in pre Internet and
pre social media.
Fast forward to today and we've got something even more
potent. The convergence
of streaming platforms, pop
culture and digital discoverability.
Now that brings us to

(01:55):
another favourite phase in our
household anyway, the movie Mamma
Mia. And now currently
the White Lotus and the White
Lotus effect on how film and
TV are shaping real
world tourism trends in real
time.

(02:16):
Let's start with talking about the Mamma Mia
phenomenon and what it did for Greek tourism
tourism. As part of the same
postgraduate research unit in web
media, I find myself this week
deep in a sparkling Aegean
rabbit hole, unpacking how the Mamma
Mia films turned the Greek

(02:38):
islands of Skopelos and
Skiathos into a travel
pilgrimage site for Abba loving
beach dreaming fans through
digitization, convergence
and discoverability. That is all I'm
thinking about this
week. Digitization is

(02:59):
an example of what made Mamma Mia
possible. The film is readily
accessible on streaming platforms, while
the destinations themselves now
boast digitised booking systems,
glamorous photo ready tours
and immersive online
experiences.

(03:20):
Convergence takes it a step
further From
Broadway to YouTube, karaoke.
Mamma Mia exists across music,
theatre, merchandise, social
media, travel blogs, you name it. There's
even specific tours named the
Mamma Mia tour on these

(03:42):
particular Greek islands and
also the Croatian island
of Vis that also shot
the second Mamma Mia movie, also
boasting tourism and attraction and
discoverability to this
particular part of the world.
Which is really

(04:02):
translating to from
movies or really m that we
can say that it's not just a movie, it's a
lifestyle movement that is inspired through
film or TV to visit these
destinations. Which brings
to what I mentioned earlier the concept
of discoverability. I sometimes call

(04:25):
this findability when we're talking about search engine
optimization and our websites
in this particular context. And the
third kind of paradigm is
discoverability, which is
off the charts when one search
leads to the next and before you know it, you're packing your
bags for Greece or Australia or

(04:47):
Croatia. Apart from
losing the film location for Mamma Mia. To
Croatia, the tourism boards
of these Greek islands, Skopelos and
Skiathos, embrace the momentum, building
a brand that capitalised on
this particular cinematic
magic.

(05:08):
Enter the White Lotus and the White
Lotus Effect. If Mamma
Mia. Was the sunshine filled musical muse,
the White Lotus is the modern day
dark comedy travel agent. The
critically acclaimed HBO series has
stirred serious buzz not just
for its writing and performances, but

(05:31):
also for its dreamy
settings. After season
one aired, Maui that
was featured in this first season
saw a whopping
425%
increase in year over year
website visits. Expedia

(05:52):
searches for sicily after season
two spiked
300%. Now with
season three heading to Thailand, the
Tourism Authority of Thailand is
proactively courting and nurturing
and embracing this momentum. Like
Mamma Mia. The White Lotus

(06:12):
harnesses digitization
streaming, making it instantly
accessible globally to a ah, global
audience convergence. Think
behind the scenes YouTube videos, Instagram
Reels, TikToks and travel
influences dissecting the filming
locations, strategic

(06:34):
marketing. Tourism boards aren't waiting for a
miracle. They're making pictures to be the next
destination featured. Knowing
that the outcomes and the
overflow and the connection and
the exposure that this will bring to
a destination. But let's not

(06:54):
forget there's a flip side.
The cautionary tale the
beach with my boy, one of my faves,
Leonardo DiCaprio and
Thailand's Maya Bay. Now,
Maya Bay, a world famous bay in
Thailand's Phi Phi Islands, gained
extraordinary fame after being

(07:16):
featured in the movie the beach
and is known for its stunning
limestone cliffs, white sand beach
and clear waters. The
film made it iconic. I know
for myself I've never visited Thailand,
but having watched that movie, I do make
the connection of wanting to visit Phi Phi

(07:38):
island and visiting the location of
the beach enter stage
left over tourism which
made the island after all of this
attraction, curiosity and
exposure from the movie
consequently made the island

(07:58):
and this part of the world uninhabitable.
so Maya Bay. Maya Bay
is now open for visitors in
2025, but it was closed
between 2018 and 2020. Two,
to restore its delicate ecosystem
which was severely impacted by mass

(08:19):
tourism years prior. In
the reopening of Mayor Bay at the end of
2022, there are now
significant changes to how visitors can
access and enjoy this now very
protected environment. We learn,
we have to also, you know, at the
same time where we say here's a big opportunity,

(08:42):
we have to reflect and go back and learn what has
happened prior. And that's a perfect example
that there is a cautionary tale that
this level of global and international
discoverability and the outcome of such
could lead to some dire
environmental consequences.
The lesson film tourism

(09:05):
is powerful but with great
discoverability comes great
responsibility and
we've come to that time for your tourism
takeaway. What can you do and what can you do
now? So what does this mean for you and
your business? And again, where you're at in your
career? Whether you're a small tourism operator,

(09:27):
a regional destination
placemaker or a curious
travel lover, here's your call
to action. Find your mamma Mia. Find your
moment or your own white lotus
effect and landscape. What's
seen, worthy story or experience
does your destination offer?

(09:49):
Film it, photograph it, tell
it, reel it. You are the
Spielberg of your world.
Create, don't procrastinate and
share. Do you like that? Create, don't
procrastinate and share. You are
the destination ambassador of your patch
and your world. We don't need

(10:11):
a ah, big time movie,
hot blockbuster to come and share that
story. So let's take that as our own
responsibility. Number two is
leverage convergence. Don't just rely on
your website, use your video, create
that YouTube channel, create that piece
of music, you know like now we just

(10:34):
had this. The incredible Steve Sammontino
talk to us about AI. There's nothing to stop us about
making our own song using artificial
intelligence about our destination and your business,
blog about it, podcast about it
and fan. Generate your
own content, be your own fan and tell

(10:55):
your story on a multi
platform opportunity that more than often,
more than often we are travelling with
the device to make that happen. Number
three is take that opportunity to be
discoverable. Ensuring your experiences
are easy to find, easy to book and easy

(11:16):
to share. Optimising your content
for Google and the social
platforms. Be
discoverable by owning the
responsibility of sharing your local secret
into a global teaser. all with the
equipment like I mentioned earlier that
you carry everywhere you go

(11:37):
and is with arm reach even when
you sleep. Number four is
planning for sustainability.
More attention is great until it's not.
Making sure your tourism strategies include
capacity management environmental
safeguards and community
alignment. Entire quality

(11:59):
tourism framework. Just have to drop that in
there. In closing, from
Crocodile Dundee to Mamma Mia. To the
White Lotus to the
beach, the connection between pop culture
and place is no longer a happy
accident. It's a strategic
superpower. But as we chase

(12:21):
discoverability in the digital age, let's not
forget what truly transforms a
trip from a tap to book impulse into a
life lifelong memory,
human connection, cultural
integrity and grounded
responsible growth that wraps
up this cinematic

(12:43):
unit. I don't know, it's coming to
the end. I think it's unit 8 or 9 called
web media with a tourism
lens that I've pulled together to share with
you today and the ever
changing world of
film. Tourism, yes, it's a
thing. I hope it's sparking m some new

(13:05):
ideas, stirred some new strategies, and maybe
even inspired your next
digital storytelling project.
Until next time, go ahead. Please
subscribe, leave a review and share the,
tourism excellence. Love. And
remember, speaking of excellence, to ignite
your own go out there, be better, and

(13:27):
of course, do better today than you
did yesterday. Big love, thank you for tuning in
and see you next time.