Exploring tourism benefits of screen space

UNWTO and Netflix partner to promote cultural affinity through films, shows

UNWTO and Netflix have partnered on the publication of a report which looks at the role of film and series as drivers for tourism and cultural affinity. The Global Report on Cultural Affinity and Screen Tourism explores the growing affection one has towards a particular country or culture displayed on the screen.

The findings of the research were presented in Madrid against the backdrop of the Iberseries Platino Industria – the largest international event for professionals linked to the audio-visual industry in Spanish and Portuguese.

The report’s ultimate goal is to support policymakers and key stakeholders within the tourism sector to implement policies that make their destinations attractive for audio-visual producers. At the same time, it aims to help in the building of focused strategies to promote tourism and consumption of local culture, investing in skills and training to develop the local film and creative sectors to ensure a high level of talent, infrastructure and production capacity and integrating tourism and showcasing culture at film festivals to deepen the global audiences’ knowledge.

The report in its summary says, “The core of cultural affinity lies in the creation of a connection. When exposed to specific country/destination content, the relationship between the viewer and that destination shifts from being merely a place of commercial interest, to one which the viewer feels a connection with. In turn, this may facilitate important spillovers. Although travel may be one of such outcomes, the connection to the place itself can create links that facilitate continuous and long-lasting effects far beyond the visit to the destination. The coupling of screen tourism and cultural affinity can advance socioeconomic development in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, namely by:

• Widening the economic and cultural impact beyond tourism, including the interest and demand for cultural and other goods overseas, which can contribute to SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth).

• Creating stronger connections and empathy with the local communities and its people and traditions, which builds a positive relationship between the person and said country or culture, whether or not travel ever occurs. This can lay the foundation for more peaceful societies, which can contribute to SDG 16 (Peace and justice) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

In the digital age, new technologies expand content diversity and distribution by aggregating viewers across geographical boundaries. These services also drive content discoverability and viewer engagement through personalization and technology features. The model provides audiences with ease of access to a diverse breadth of curated and high-quality content. By showcasing content in this way, digital players offer an avenue to spread local content to a larger audience.

The report further explores the tangible impact of films and TV series through Internet entertainment services (IES) to build cultural affinity and connections across communities and countries. With a specific focus on Netflix content, a series of surveys show that the spillovers carry through many important sectors, including three key findings:

• Audiences who watch content from other countries or cultures are more likely to travel to the featured destinations.

• Beyond travel, there is a higher-stated interest in supporting a broader value chain, namely greater fascination and attraction towards cultural goods, such as a countries’ famous landmarks, gastronomy, local history, cultural products, language and people.

• Netflix facilitates the discoverability of such content.

In today’s unprecedented times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for global collaboration is higher than ever. When thinking about the role of film and media, considering cultural affinity can widen the approach of governments in the promotion of screen tourism and local destinations, which in turn results in expanded economic benefits and long-lasting sociocultural empathy.

UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “Both tourism and the audio-visual sectors celebrate and promote culture, support jobs and provide opportunities in diverse locations. The joint work of UNWTO and Netflix will help destinations realize the potential benefits of screen tourism.

Dean Garfield, Vice-President, Public Policy, Netflix: “As highlighted in this research, we have been able to demonstrate conclusively what we instinctively already believed, which is that alongside the desire to travel and visit destinations, exposure to screen content also leads to greater interest in heritage, culture, language, and developing interpersonal relationships. This truly demonstrates that the creative industries, cultural exchange, storytelling, and tourism are all interlinked and can transform the way communities perceive and connect with each other.”

Following the presentation of the Global Report, experts on tourism and the audio-visual industry shared their knowledge and insights into changing trends in screen tourism, its positive impacts on strengthening cultural affinity and the role of online streaming services in promoting tourism and cultural affinity between people, cultures and countries in line with the 2030 Agenda. The event also served to underline how public-private partnerships can support destinations to promote themselves as attractive locations for audio-visual producers.