Cinema and Tourism: An Ongoing Journey

Abstract

In keeping with this issue’s theme, the (Dis)agreements section poses a series of key questions related to the relationship between tourism, geographical space, and cinema, and more specifically, the ability of the cinema to create imaginaries that engage the interest of viewers, who thereby become potential visitors of the places shown on the screen. To explore this dependence that connects filmmaking and the development of local tourism, evident in the manifest interest of local authorities in attracting film production to their cities and regions, Antonia Del Rey-Reguillo and Rosanna Mestre ask a series of questions on the issue, ranging from the general question of the dangers of film tourism for filmmaking to the unique features of Spanish settings and contemporary Spanish cinema. Experts from different fields (both academics and industry professionals) offer their opinions in answer to these questions, and the diversity of those answers reflects the complexity of film and tourism studies and the need for an interdisciplinary approach to them. Their answers reflect the kind of convergence of ideas that has come to define the (Dis)agreements section, and the different opinions on the consequences of turning cinema into a creator or promoter of tourism to a particular region enrich a debate that affects both the film industry and its viewers, as well as government agencies and institutions.