Star Wars is a series of science fiction fantasy movies and television shows. As is now quite common across movies and TV, the filming locations have become popular tourist destinations for fans of the franchise. Moreover, given the Disney buyout of the franchise from LucasFilms in 2012, the inevitable theme park attractions at Disney resorts are now a major pull for that kind of tourism too.
The renowned science fiction franchise has become something of an international cultural phenomenon since the release of the first movie in 1977. It now attracts countless dedicated fans to places associated with the movies and spinoffs, such as TV shows, exhibitions, conferences, and film locations in Ireland, Norway, Tunisia, and elsewhere. Research in the International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy looks at Star Wars tourism as an intriguing example of movie and television-related tourism and sheds light on the positive and negative aspects of this kind of tourism.
Dag Øivind Madsen of The University of South-Eastern Norway in Hønefoss, discusses the various examples of Star Wars filming locations and tourist destinations across the globe. His work suggests that these places have witnessed increased tourist interest due to their association with the iconic movie franchise. On the positive side, this boost in tourism has contributed to the economic growth of several destinations, boosting local businesses and creating job opportunities. However, the converse of that is that there are some concerns associated with this form of tourism, such as overcrowding. The influx of tourists represents a new strain on local infrastructure, could impact the environment, and diminish the quality of the visitor experience for non-movie tourists and regular tourists alike. Madsen also highlights the issue of sustainability and how natural and cultural resources in these destinations must be conserved and carefully managed to ensure long-term viability.
Star Wars tourism represents a captivating case study within the realm of movie and television-related travel. There are many other franchises, such as Game of Thrones (Croatia and Ireland), Harry Potter (Northumberland, King’s Cross station, and other locations in the UK), Twilight (Forks, Washington, USA), Breaking Bad (Alberqueque), The Lord of the Rings (New Zealand), all of which have boosted tourism at location sites used in the movies. The concept stretches much further back in movie history to the likes of The Sound of Music, which attracted visitors to Salzburg in Austria, Gone with the Wind (Atlanta, Georgia), Casablanca (Morocco), and other destinations. Moreover, literature and art had and still do add to tourism in many iconic places Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon for instance, Bath, the setting for Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice”, and Canterbury a popular destination for those hoping to find the roots of Chaucer’s tales.
The scale of tourism in general and that associated with movie franchises, present challenges for those destinations related to over-tourism, sustainability, and the maintenance of an authentic experience for visitors. Madsen’s work in highlighting the issues for one particular case the fandom of which spans several generations, is important. The franchise remains very popular and it is likely that there will be new filming locations added to the list as it grows over the years. “The future trajectory and development of Star Wars tourism ultimately remains an empirical question that will have to be addressed in future studies,” Madsen writes.
Madsen, D.Ø. (2023) ‘The trajectory and development of Star Wars tourism’, Int. J. Management Concepts and Philosophy, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp.276–284.