New Zealand in the picture again

The release of the epic sci-fi movie Ghost in the Shell has again put the spotlight on #NewZealand as a special place to visit. The film opened in New Zealand last week.

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, and Juliette Binoche #GhostintheShell was filmed primarily at Stone Street Studios in Wellington, with a key scene filmed in downtown Wellington.

Many of the cast and crew spent months living like locals in the capital and some were able to travel around New Zealand during their breaks.

René de Monchy, Tourism New Zealand’s Director of PR, Trade and Major Events says Ghost in the Shell is just the latest in a series of big productions being filmed in New Zealand. “It gives us another chance to promote New Zealand and everything we have to offer. It reinforces the fact that we can provide a warm and welcoming place to visit, and highlights our message that everything is easily accessible.”

Actor Scarlett Johansson, who plays the role of “Major” in the film adaptation of the famous Japanese manga, said Wellington was one of the best cities she’d worked in. “It has an outdoorsy vibe and it is so nice on your days off to be able to walk by the harbour, drive to the mountains or go hiking in the bush.

Ghost in the Shell Producer Ari Arad says Wellington has been a perfect location for filming.

Films have a powerful influence over people choosing where they want to travel. The Hobbit Trilogy is still responsible for attracting one in five visitors to New Zealand.

”This is another great opportunity for us to promote New Zealand as a tourism destination with diverse, unique landscapes alongside welcoming people,” said Mr de Monchy.

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Time of your Life with Brittany Ferries

IN her latest film, Dame Joan Collins sails with Brittany Ferries to #France looking for adventure. Now, to celebrate the launch of the #TheTimeofTheirLives, the company has put together a sail-and-stay break that replicates her character’s voyage of discovery. It includes two nights on the glamorous Ȋle de Ré where she and co-star Pauline Collins find love, adventure and true friendship.

Starting from £199 per person, Brittany Ferries Time of Their Lives tour is a three-night break, including two nights bed and breakfast in a hotel on the Ȋle de Ré. The price includes overnight crossing from Portsmouth to Caen with cabin on board and return daytime sailing.

Film fans can choose an extra night or sail from an alternative port, like Poole or Plymouth. For a little additional glamour, they may also choose a luxurious 5-star hotel option for a £50 per person supplement.

The offer is available up until 30 June 2017. For more details, including terms and conditions, or to book a trip visit the website here: http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/offers/the-time-of-their-lives-film

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Middle-earth tourism in New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND is celebrating 15 years as the home of Middle-earth and Tourism New Zealand says the magic is as alive as ever with record numbers of international visitors lining up for a Hobbit experience.

Figures released in the latest International Visitor Survey findings from MBIE for the year to September 2016 show one in three international tourists, about 437,000 people have some kind of Middle-earth experience here and nearly one in five claim the #Hobbit is a factor in choosing to visit #NewZealand. 

Sir Peter Jackson says that since the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 15 years ago nothing has changed- New Zealand is and will always be the real Middle-earth.

“New Zealand has such a variety of landscapes from lush green forests, to soaring mountains. The grandeur of these landscapes saw tourists flock to our shores, and made a huge impact on the #tourism industry.

New Zealand is the perfect Middle-earth and a real place that visitors can experience for years and years to come.” Jackson said.

To celebrate the 15 year milestone, Tourism New Zealand has developed Middle-earth travel, an online quiz that lets consumers see which character they are most aligned to: a Dwarf, Elf, Wizard or a Hobbit. They are then provided with a character-inspired itinerary for their journey through New Zealand. The quiz and itineraries are housed on tourism New Zealand’s website, newzealand.com.

Find out which character you would travel through the real Middle-earth as take the quiz:

http://www.newzealand.com/int/campaign/middle-earth-quiz

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Picture Credit: Daniel Peckham flickr.com/photos/95701140@N00/16793654981 New Zealand Foggy Golden Sunrise via photopin, Christopher Chan flickr.com/photos/17751217@N00/31560565031 Hobbit Hole, The Shire via photopin

The power of film

DISNEY'S Pete’s Dragon was shot entirely in #NewZealand and in August this year was released globally to overwhelmingly positive reviews. #Tourism New Zealand’s marketing and publicity campaign, in partnership with Disney and Air New Zealand, sought to clearly articulate New Zealand as the home of Disney’s Pete’s Dragon. 

The campaign work in America was targeted through a Facebook campaign and included extensive PR activity, a virtual reality collaboration with Disney and partnership with Air New Zealand.

Rebecca Ingram, Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager, PR and Major Events says Tourism New Zealand can capitalise on the tourism opportunities generated by blockbuster films, including high impact broadcast partnerships, marketing opportunities and cast endorsement which drive preference for New Zealand.

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Picture Credit: Stuck in Customs flickr.com/photos/95572727@N00/24079984901 Hiking In Queenstown via photopin.com

The Real Westeros

'Winterfell - Castle Ward, Strangford, County Down

TOURISM IRELAND shows visitors how to navigate the real-world Westeros. Tourism Ireland has unveiled a new film called “Game of Thrones: 3 Day Itinerary”, specially created to highlight #GameofThrones locations across Northern Ireland to fans and prospective visitors worldwide. 

The film shows visitors how to travel around the real-world Westeros in Northern Ireland in three days and features key filming locations like Winterfell, The Iron Islands, Dragonstone and many more. It includes stunning imagery of the locations used in HBO’s Game of Thrones, together with the names of the places in both the show and in #NorthernIreland.

The film is being promoted through Tourism Ireland’s social platforms, including Facebook (3.6 million fans worldwide), Twitter (345,000 followers) and YouTube.

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Picture Credit: By Ardfern - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org 7655505

Tenerife tops for movie-makers

THE RELEASE of the latest Jason #Bourne movie, shot in Tenerife's capital city, re-affirms the island's appeal as a top filming location for box-office blockbusters. The largest of the Canary Islands was chosen by 88 local and international production companies for their shoots in 2015, which generated record revenues of €19 million (£16 million) for the island’s economy, €11 million (£9.3 million) more than in 2014.

The Jason Bourne production team and cast spent five weeks on Tenerife in September last year to shoot many of the action scenes of the fifth instalment of the series.

In addition to the Bourne team, another 87 film crews, including the ones of Doctor Who and The Only Way is Essex, filmed in #Tenerife last year – most of them attracted by the island's tax incentives (including a reduced VAT rate of seven percent), diversity of landscapes, and 3,000 hours of sunshine a year.

Tenerife has welcomed a total of 1,126 local and international productions since 2000.

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How to see Poldark’s Cornwall

WITH #Poldark making a return to TV screens in Britain this autumn, Cornwall's beauty will be showcased again. Holidaymakers can indulge their Poldark fantasies at the 5-star Gwel an Mor resort with its strong connections to the series. 

On the county’s north coast at #Portreath, it’s close to many Poldark locations, such as mining heritage sites, coves, and villages. Guests can even get the opportunity to stay in one of the luxury lodges where 'Ross', 'Demelza' and 'Elizabeth' lived during the filming of the latest series, as the resort was the base for the principal cast during their time in #Cornwall.

The resort has luxury self-catering lodges (two- and three-bedroom) and facilities including a spa, tennis courts and a children’s play barn and climbing wall. All of the lodges have sea views. Gwel an Mor is also home to Feadon Farm, the resort's own wildlife and conservation centre, where guests can have guided ranger-led experiences and meet the tame and rescue animals which live on site.

For Poldark fans, the resort runs guided tours of the Cornish locations which appear in the programme.
www.gwelanmor.com 

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Malta organizes screen tourism courses for tour guides

A SCREEN TOURISM training course for licensed guides has been started by the #Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) in collaboration with the country’s film commission and tourist guides union.

Screen tourism provides a link between a location and a film or television production, during or after the shooting.

So far, 42 licensed guides have successfully completed the ten-hour course.

Malta‘s history as a film location spans more than nine decades, with the first film having been shot on the island in 1925. Versatile locations, a skilled and adaptable workforce, a safe environment, long hours of daylight, competitive rates for crews, artists and extras, and fiscal incentives are among the factors that have attracted movie and television producers and directors.

Says the MTA’s chief executive Paul Bugeja: ‘Screen tourism is a growing phenomenon, with more and more destinations across the globe benefiting from a booming screen industry. Such courses can help provide a higher quality service level to tourists.’

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£15 million in camera cash for Tenerife

A TOTAL of regional and international production companies chose #Tenerife as the location for their #movie and television show filming last year – 20 more than in 2014. 

Attracted by the island's tax incentives, variety of landscapes, and 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, the productions helped Tenerife to generate record revenues of €19 million in 2015 (£15.38 million).

As well as helping international production companies with locations, permits, and local contacts, the Tenerife Film Commission provides advice on how they can benefit from up to 35% tax allowances – one of the Canary Islands' main tax incentives for audio-visual productions, along with reduced rates of Value Added Tax.

Tenerife has welcomed 1,126 local and international productions since 2000.

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Picture Credit: RememberWhen Movies Were a Reel Thing? :) -[ #FlickrFriday ]-

See Sicily … in a vintage Fiat 500

SOLOSICILY, the Sicilian #villa specialist, is introducing vintage tours for its guests in classic Fiat 500s, visiting film locations, vineyards, and towns and villages in eastern #Sicily.

The two half-day tours are accompanied by a tour guide driving his own Fiat 500.  The first tour – 37 miles – takes guests around the most notable film locations from The Godfather trilogy, with a stop at the famous Bar Vitelli, and a return journey along the coast to Taormina.

The second tour visits the wine areas on Mount Etna.

Prices for the vintage tours with a tour guide are approximately £696 for two vintage cars (four to five people).

Guests can also rent a vintage Fiat 500 without a pre-arranged tour and discover the sites under their own steam.

SoloSicily has a collection of more than 40 hand-picked villas in Sicily.  

www.solosicily.com 

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Star locations

Star Wars fans in authentic costume in Puzzlewood

WYE VALLEY and Forest of Dean Tourism has launched an online film and TV trail to help visitors explore the area’s cinematic connections, including the latest installment of #StarWars.

The trail – which can be found at www.visitdeanwyefilm.co.uk – showcases a series of Wye Valley and Forest of Dean locations for movies such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, captured on Coppett Hill; Doctor Who, filmed in Clearwell Caves; and Star Wars VII, shot at Puzzlewood.

Using maps plotted by location and production, visitors can discover the woodlands, historic sites, caves, and glades featured in some of the biggest screen blockbusters.

Maureen McAllister, executive director of Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism, said: ‘Film-makers have flocked to the region for years – with our stunning natural scenery we’ve made the perfect backdrop for everything from the magic of Harry Potter to lightsaber duels.

According to a recent study by Creative England, international screen tourism was worth £140 million (in England outside of London) in 2014, with the best-performing sites attracting up to £4.3 million in combined domestic and international screen tourism annually. The trail is expected to boost visitor revenue in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean by a potential £35 million a year after three years.

Tourism in the Forest of Dean and Monmouthshire contributes £141.5 million and £158.1 respectively to the local economies.

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5th Bourne blockbuster filmed on Tenerife!

 TENERIFE'S position as a major filming location for box-office blockbusters has been reinforced, with Hollywood star #MattDamon recently shooting the fifth instalment of the #Bourne series on the streets of the island's capital, Santa Cruz. 

Visitors saw Damon filming a number of action sequences.

The #Tenerife Film Commission, the unit of the island’s tourism body responsible for promoting the island as a filming location, provided support for the production team. Six hundred people were hired as extras.

Other productions shot on the island include Fast & Furious 6, Clash of the Titans and its sequel Wrath of the Titans, and a Doctor Who episode for the BBC.


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From Italy with love … and 007

TO celebrate – or try to cash in on – the latest Bond movie, ‘Spectre’, #Citalia has compiled its list of holiday destinations featured in the #007 series over the decades since 1963. The travel company can recommend and arrange hotel accommodation in all of these locations.

Rome – Spectre (2015): The Eternal City plays a starring role in Bond’s new adventure. The cast and crew were spotted filming around the River Tiber, near the Colosseum, and around the streets of Vatican City.

Venice – From Russia with Love (1963); Moonraker (1979); and Casino Royale (2006): As with most who visit the floating city, Bond is not immune to its charms having spent time in Venice on three occasions. His first visit occurred in From Russia with Love back in 1963, where he wooed Tatiana Romanova on a gondola along the Grand Canal. He returned 16 years later in Moonraker, where he once again takes a gondola along the Grand Canal – although this time, he’s being chased by assassins in a speedboat. Bond’s last trip to Venice was in Casino Royale, when he and Vesper Lynd moor their yacht outside the Belmond Hotel Cipriani.

 Siena - Quantum of Solace (2008): #JamesBond travels to Siena at the start of Quantum of Solace, where he chases a member of the secretive Quantum organization over the rooftops and through the crowds at the Palio horse race in the Piazza del Campo. For a piece of the action, Citalia’s concierge team in Siena can arrange tickets to the Palio race.

Dolomites - For Your Eyes Only (1981): 007 heads to Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites to track down a Belgian assassin. The action here features a chase scene involving a ski jump, a downhill ski slope, and a bobsleigh run. Bolzano is the perfect place to explore hiking and cycling trails and for soaking-up Alpine scenery. 

Lake Como - Casino Royale (2006): Lake Como makes two appearances in Casino Royale. The first is at the hospital where 007 recovers after being tortured, which was shot at Villa del Balbianello. The second time you’ll spot the lake is right at the end of the film, when Bond surprises the mysterious Mr White at his lakeside villa. This scene was shot at Villa la Gaeta, close to the resorts of San Siro and Menaggio on Lake Como’s western shore. For film location buffs, Citalia offers a pre-bookable tour of Villa del Balbianello, accessible via private boat, à la 007.

www.citalia.com

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Picture Credit: © David Kernek

Gozo to get silver screen fame

MALTA’S sister-island, #Gozo, will get worldwide exposure later this year, when By the Sea starring #BradPitt and #AngelinaJolie is set for release. The movie was shot entirely on Gozo.

'#ByTheSea has given Gozo a great deal of international media exposure,’ says Malta’s tourism minister, Edward Zammit Lewis, ‘and it augurs well for the film and tourism industry on the island.’

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59005593@N05/6860795060">MGARR IX - XINI</a> via <a
href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)