Tourists are flocking to the U.K. locations that were used for films such as the “Harry Potter” series, “The Da Vinci Code,” “Pride & Prejudice” and “Gosford Park,” according to a new report.
Alnwick Castle, which doubled for the magical school Hogwarts, saw visitor numbers rise 120% since the release of the “Harry Potter” pics.
Burghley House and Basildon House, both used for Joe Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice,” enjoyed an admissions uptick of 20% and 76%, respectively.
The report, “Stately Attraction — How Film and TV Programs Promote Tourism in the U.K.,” was commissioned by the U.K. Film Council along with several regional film agencies and tourist boards.
It details numerous such examples of visitor numbers increasing at locations made famous by movies or TV shows. In some cases, a show can radically change the nature of tourism to a particular location. Since the BBC started making its hit preschool skein “Balamory” in the village of Tobermory on the Scottish island of Mull, the tourist trade has shifted from senior citizens to families with very young children.
John Woodward, chief exec of the U.K. Film Council, said, “There are countless examples of visitors flocking to locations they’ve seen in films or on TV, and the effect can last for years. ‘Miss Potter,’ filmed in the Lake District, is already giving Cumbria’s tourism a boost, and there’s more to come with ‘Brideshead Revisited’ filming at Castle Howard in Yorkshire.”
