Film tourism works its magic for Stockholm

Stockholm is set to receive a €106 million boost from the Swedish films based on Stieg Larsson's
Millennium trilogy, according to a report released April 13.

"The Millennium Report," compiled by Sweden-based Cloudberry Communications for the area's regional authorities, said that the films generated considerable value for the region thanks to the number of shots of and references to the region.

An interesting insight into the importance of film locations, the report calculated that Stockholm received an average of 17 "exposures," or tourist image-associated scenes or key scenes, per film for each of the three movies.

The films feature several clearly identifiable views of regions such as Saltsjoen, Riddarfjaerden and Soedermalm, the report says.

The Swedish films have won international attention and have been sold in around 60 countries, including Germany, France, the UK and the US, with an estimated audience of some 123 million.

However, the report predicts that that number - and its associated value to Stockholm - could soon be eclipsed by the interest generated by David Fincher's forthcoming US versions, set to star Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

Film tourism is big business, and never more so than with creations that attract a cult following prepared to do anything to indulge their passion.

New Zealand reported a 400 percent boost in tourism thanks to the international fame of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it's preparing to cash in again on the forthcoming The Hobbit, also directed by Peter Jackson and set for release next year.

The town of Forks in the US state of Washington saw an even larger boost (admittedly from a lower base) following the success of the Twilight books and movies, and local business began stocking all of the Twilight memorabilia they could get their hands on following the surge.

Perhaps the most unlikely beneficiary of film tourism is the region of Rabun County in Georgia, USA, which reportedly still lures 20,000 tourists a year on the back of the 1972 thriller Deliverance - despite the film's less-than-flattering portrayal of the locals.

Stockholm Film Commission: http://www.stofilm.com/