Efforts are being spearheaded by the government to set Malta as a leading player in the film industry across the Mediterranean region. This vision is commendable and must be pursued, for the film industry is not only an important economic sector but is also a significant contributor to tourism. Indeed, tourism and the film industry have more in common than one might think but my focus here will be related to film-induced tourism.

Year after year, destinations from across the world are receiving more and more travellers whose motivation is to visit locations where famous series or movies were filmed. Today, it has been demonstrated that an increase in the number of films and, above all, globally successful series, have allowed destinations to create tourism products in the form of locations and routes which became known worldwide thanks to such audiovisual works.

Furthermore, the effects of film tourism on the image of a destination are very positive as they considerably improve a destination’s reputation. Nowadays, a successful tourism destination is all about the experience it offers and films generously contribute to such an objective.

Indeed, film viewers prolong the experience lived in the series through their social networks, extending their experiences to the place where the world-famous series or film was shot. This leads to creating a new niche form of tourism which, in the overall tourism formula, is important, especially in overcoming seasonality and insularity challenges which we face as an island destination.

A film production also brings along a production team which, many times, is considerable in number and in general provides good clients for hotels, restaurants and catering establishments.

I remind those who may have forgotten that, during the pandemic, when our hotels were empty, some of our hotels were hosting film production teams which alleviated their difficulties in such challenging times.

But, apart from the tourist numbers, the appearance of a destination in film or television helps transform the perception of the destination image known to tourists, thus forming a new overall image of tourism.

Indeed, we know that tourist destinations featured in films and series can influence viewers more than the usual advertising campaigns because empathy is produced, that is, the audience gains shared affection, putting themselves in the place of the protagonist of the story.

Tourist destinations featured in films and series can influence viewers more than the usual advertising campaigns- Tony Zahra

This leads me to the importance of storytelling in promoting a destination. Films help build the story for destinations to stand out in a myriad and complicated world of destination-promotion strategies and definitely play an important role in influencing the choice of place to visit next.

Malta is a destination which can offer an amazing setting for film production and, hence, benefit from the economic and marketing activity which can be generated as a result of such pursuit.

But we must remember that we are not the only wise guys in this world who have understood the potential benefits of film production linked to tourism.

Many Mediterranean countries are doing their utmost to incentivise film production, so Malta has one only way to succeed – that to invest in this industry and aim to be the leader of the pack by offering exceptional support services, fair fiscal incentives and new ways for the creation of synergies among Mediterranean film locations.

Malta must also become a home to a vibrant ecosystem of content creators, writers, independent producers and production companies, creating a wide range of television programming and films for audiences around the world and these must be equally supported to stand out.

We must not be afraid to invest where there is a clear return on investment and the film industry is a clear example of this if done wisely and strategically.

Films inspire their viewers to emotionally immerse themselves in the place where they were produced, to visit restaurants featured in the movie and to discover a meaningful place with a story, rather than visit a trendy destination.

So, it’s critical that, in benefiting from such outcomes, the principles of sustainability are seriously guarded to make sure that our movie locations keep moving tourism in the right direction.

Tony Zahra is president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.