Two ways of creating film tourism destinations: Case study of Sandomierz and Lodz (Poland)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify the ways in which film tourism destinations emerge and the methods for making them more permanent. This study adopts a case-study approach. The author selected two Polish cities that are commonly associated with films: Sandomierz and Lodz (Łódź). One is an established film tourism destination, while the other is a potential, developing one. Together, they provide a strong example of various phenomena connected to film-inspired tourism. The analysis drew on a wide range of sources (academic papers, research reports, inquiries at film institutions, interviews with experts, field inspections, and observations). The obtained results allowed the author to formulate some general conclusions: 1. Film tourism destinations may emerge in a revolutionary or evolutionary way; 2. It is possible to plan the creation of a branded product of the given area based on the cinematographic heritage, also before the film premiere; 3. There are tools that may prevent the pre-term death of a film tourism destination; 4. Prolonging the life cycle is harder for ordinary shooting sets, but much easier for towns that have accumulated material and immaterial cinematographic heritage over years.