Prof. Dr. Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, head of the Chair of Marketing and Media at MCM, University of Münster, commented on the subject of film tourism in a Tagesschau article. Starting with the popular Netflix series "Emily in Paris" and discussions about a possible move of the protagonist to Rome, Prof. Hennig-Thurau analyzed the effects of such productions on the popularity of filming locations. The Münster-based author of the standard work "Entertainment Science" and numerous scholarly articles on the entertainment economy explains the fundamental importance of film locations for fans with the "magic of the cinematic". Film characters become heroes and idols with whom viewers build imaginary relationships. At the filming locations, fans can get as close as possible to these characters and "follow in their footsteps". This is comparable to visiting places associated with real people one admires. Prof. Hennig-Thurau, who himself has published a book and a museum exibition about the Münster locations of "Alle Jahre wieder", the Ulrich-Schamoni film that holds cult status in Münster, compares "Emily in Paris" with other popular productions like "Notting Hill", "E.T.", and "Forrest Gump", whose filming locations also attract substantial visitors.

Prof. Hennig-Thurau emphasizes that cities like Paris have little way to measure the direct influence of a series on visitor numbers and associated revenues. Although "Emily in Paris" undoubtedly increases the attractiveness of the French capital, it would be difficult to isolate how many tourists actually travel to Paris because of the series—Paris is already too popular for that. Nevertheless, the expert underlines that successful films and series can help to increase the attractiveness of places as travel destinations: This is shown by places that have become attractive to tourists due to a single film. As an example, he mentions the film "The Shawshank Redemption", whose filming location, the former Ohio State Reformatory, is now a popular museum and tourist destination. Prof. Hennig-Thurau also points out the challenges that film tourism can bring for residents, especially when filming locations are in quiet residential areas and are heavily frequented by fans.

The full article can be read here: https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/weltwirtschaft/emily-in-paris-macron-rom-100.html

Further information about Prof. Hennig-Thurau's research on "Entertainment Science" can be found here: https://www.marketingcenter.de/lmm/entertainment-science/

About the book and exhibition "Alle Jahre wieder in Münster": https://allejahrewiederprojekt.de