Britain launches 'Robin Hood' tourism promotion

(VisitBritain)

The legend of Robin Hood will return to Nottingham May 12, as the new Russell Crowe film premieres across the channel in Cannes.

VisitBritain, the official tourism authority for the United Kingdom, will host a gala screening of the Ridley Scott-directed film which is also due to open the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.

The story of the world's most famous outlaw is set in Sherwood Forest, just outside Nottingham, which has introduced themed walks and cycle trials for fans of the movie.

An exhibition at Nottingham Castle is also currently on display, designed by the film's set designer Sonja Claus.

Further afield, visitors can see the sets of the film's epic battle scenes at Dovedale in Derbyshire and Freshwater West in the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire, which has also been recently featured in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 film.

VisitBritain is launching a new version of its Film locations smartphone app, which now includes a Google maps and Facebook integration system so users can find their favorite film locations, take a picture, and then post it on their social networking sites.

A microsite is also available to guide film tourists through the locations.

Film tourism is a crowd-puller for Great Britain, which has previously launched promotion packages for films such as The Da Vinci Code, James Bond Quantum of Solace and Sherlock Holmes.

http://visitbritain.com/robinhood