Cui, Xin
(2023)
Off-location film-related tourism and representations of a tourism destination’s place images, identities and history: the case of Hengdian.
PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.
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Abstract
By the early 2000s, the concept of film-related tourism had gained momentum in the research area of tourism with the related knowledge obtained mostly from case studies (Connell 2012, 1012). The ‘impacts of film-related tourism’ is one of the major themes in this research area. However, previous research cases focus more on the natural and existing tourism sites with film-related elements or/and film-related tourism in ‘first-world countries’, such as the USA, the UK and Australia. The study of purpose-built and manufactured film-related tourism sites, i.e., off-location film-related tourism sites (Beeton 2005), in China, such as film studios and film-based theme parks, has not been fully investigated. Filling the research gap, this study sets the research focus on a Chinese film-related tourism destination — Hengdian Town, in which the world’s largest outdoor filming site and film studio theme park Hengdian World Studios is located. The overall aim of this study is to explore to what extent film-related tourism impacts a destination’s representations of its place images, identities and history. Employing the methods of ethnography, online and offline interviews, and an online questionnaire, data and information were collected from different sources. Through analysing these data and information, this thesis can provide empirical contributions to the research area of film-related tourism. Based on the case of Hengdian, the results and findings in this research suggest that film-related tourism can economically, socio-culturally, and environmentally influence a tourism destination’s place images, identities and history in both positive and negative aspects. The study demonstrates a range of existing impacts brought by film-related tourism that have appeared and acted on the destination of Hengdian. Also, it suggests a number of possible opportunities and risks that Hengdian may meet in future if it constantly develops its film-related tourism. The major contributions of this study are shown in five aspects. Firstly, this research develops an understanding of film-related tourism in China and the impacts of film-related tourism on a Chinese tourism destination through looking at different research themes in this study area. Secondly, this research demonstrates the contents and characteristics of off-location film-related tourism in China. Thirdly, it also indicates the similarities and differences between on-location and off-location film-related tourism and highlights how special Hengdian’s off-location film-related tourism is in this study area. Fourthly, this research indicates the value and significance of applying the term ‘film-related tourism’ to define and describe tourists’ journeys to film-related tourism destinations. Finally, beyond the case study, this research contributes to the understanding of film-related tourism on a broader level and sense.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Jul 2023 14:55 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Jul 2023 14:55 |
| DOI: | 10.17638/03168917 |
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| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3168917 |
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