African countries can really shine on the big screen – Travel

The fact that Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya’s Nakuru County played host to the films The Lion King and Tomb Raider 2 has made the park famous worldwide. According to Charles Nkaiseri, a guide at the park, many visitors to the park request to be taken to Pride Rock, the spot that inspired the scenery in The Lion King, or to the Ol Jorowa Gorge where most of the grave scenes were filmed in the Tomb Raider movie.

Elsa Lunani, digital products manager at Multichoice Kenya, a satellite television service, said film tourism has proven to be a powerful tool in attracting visitors to various destinations on the continent since independence.

“In Kenya, for example, award-winning international films such as The Constant Gardener, To Walk with Lions, Married Bachelor, Out of Africa, Mountains of the Moon, Nowhere in Africa and The Big Cat Diary, are among a long line of films shot in the country. list of important success stories,” said Lunani.

According to her, physical landscapes such as mountains and lakes, wildlife, coastal beaches and cultural attractions of Africa can feature prominently as perfect filming locations for international productions.

“The physical features that drew these filmmakers to the country not only showcased Kenya as a perfect cinematic location, but also significantly marketed the country as a major global tourism destination,” Lunani said.

Recently, the Kenya Tourism Board announced that it is now focusing on filming as one of its initiatives to increase the number of international travelers in the country. While initially announcing its partnership with the India International Film Tourism Conclave in 2018, Kenya Tourism Board marketing director Jacinta Nzioka said the country has what it takes to become a global choice for filmmaking. The India International Film Tourism Conclave is a leading location scout for films developed in India and Asia.

Survey results

Lunani says a recent survey by US image brand PhotoAiD clearly shows the importance of screen tourism, with 96 percent of respondents saying they have visited places related to their favorite television shows or movies at least once in their lives.

“According to 35 percent of travelers surveyed, the most common reason for participating in film tourism is to enjoy an immersive experience that allows you to experience the storylines of shows or films and follow in the footsteps of famous characters,” said Lunani.

Emmanuel Oyier, communications and advocacy specialist and co-founder of video company Seamless Frames in Kenya, said film tourism is an excellent vehicle for destination marketing and also creates opportunities for product and community entrepreneurial development, such as site tours or film heritage museums.

“Film-induced tourism and destination branding are currently some of the fastest growing sectors in tourism. However, there are some key issues that need to be addressed in Africa before promoting our film production and tourism locations,” said Oyier.

He emphasized on adopting responsible tourism practices, pre-creating a film-friendly environment through community participation and awareness campaigns, safety and understanding the impact of destination branding.