LONDON - Blockbuster films and well-received television programmes set in various parts of Britain have boosted the local tourism industy, a report said Monday.
According to the document commissioned by several British film and tourism bodies, the locations of sets from the Harry Potter movie series, The Da Vinci Code, Gosford Park, and Pride and Prejudice, among others, saw increases in visitor numbers in recent years.
Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, northern England, which masquerades as Hogwarts -- the school at which the bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter learns how to cast spells -- saw a 120-percent increase in visitor numbers following the release of the first film in the series.
The report's authors estimate that the movie franchise brought about nine million pounds (13.2 million euros, 18.1 million dollars) to the area.
Similarly, Temple Church in central London saw a five-fold increase in the number of visitors after the release of The Da Vinci Code.
"British films and television programmes play a powerful role in showcasing the UK to the rest of the world and boosting tourism," said John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council.
"There are countless examples of visitors flocking to locations they've seen in films or on TV and the effect can last for years."
According to the report, "Stately Attraction -- How Film and Television Programmes Promote Tourism in the UK", the locations that were most likely to draw tourists were historic and religious buildings, rural or village landscapes, and stately homes.
It said that with so-called "cult" films such as Trainspotting or Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the tourism boost could last several years.
08/27/2007 00:01