New pathways for film industry development could future-proof South Africa against potential overtourism while allowing the country to share its cultural heritage and natural assets on an unprecedented scale.
The country already ranks as a popular filming destination due to its variety of environmental backdrops, high level of technical skill within the creative industries and low production costs afforded by tax incentives and favourable foreign exchange rates. Researchers and tourism industry stakeholders also stress that the sector offers vast untapped potential.
Academics at the University of Pretoria (UP) point out that film tourism could diversify the South African product away from mass tourism at congested sites and safari destinations. Directing traffic to off-the-beaten-track locations may lighten the load on existing infrastructure and help popular destinations remain within their carrying capacity – promoting more responsible forms of tourism.
The sector has additional value to add in countering the limited narratives of Africa as a place of violence, crime, racism and poverty – and in providing funding for crucial cultural or natural heritage sites.
“In South Africa, where heritage sites rarely receive the critical funding they need, filming and concomitant tourism can be a much-needed avenue to procure funding,” says Dr Charlene Herselman, a lecturer at UP’s Department of Historical and Heritage Studies.
Global reach
According to European travel data intelligence firm TCI Research, more than 80 million people worldwide select their travel destinations based almost exclusively on films and television series.
Productions such as the recent Netflix series Blood & Water – filmed in Cape Town – have been directly linked to increased internet searches related to South Africa.
“Every time a new season is released, there are significant spikes on Google Trends in places such as Australia and the Netherlands. This phenomenon could be further developed to create more diverse tourism products for these markets with a potential boon of job creation,” says UP lecturer Hannes Engelbrecht.
This builds on the successes of Hollywood films such as District 9 and Invictus.
“Films and commercial productions have highlighted the incredible diversity of attractions the country offers, ranging from Cape Town’s natural beauty to Johannesburg’s urban vibrancy,” says Riana Andrews, Editor at South African Film & Event Media.
However, there is still scope for South Africa to produce films that catalyse global interest in travel to the country such as that generated for New Zealand by The Lord of the Rings and for the UK by Harry Potter.
The Lord of the Rings led to a 40% increase in tourist numbers to New Zealand in the first five years after the release of the first film. Visit Britain found that 47% of incoming tourists selected “riding the scenic ‘Hogwarts Express’ through the Scottish Highlands” as the activity they most want to do when visiting the UK.
According to the UP’s research, a major film can be produced in South Africa at a quarter of the price it would take to produce the same quality product in Hollywood – this presents a significant opportunity for the industry to appeal to global film companies.
“We simply have to leverage the resources we have to produce film tourism products for our visitors. The stories we tell today can become the tourist attractions of tomorrow and inspire physical and spiritual journeys through the medium of film,” says Herselman.
Film Industry Visa Assistance and the Commercial Producers Association of South Africa expect film production to contribute R6.57 billion (€326 million) to South Africa’s tourism economy in 2025 including flights, hotel stays, transport services, meals and entertainment.
