In recent years, the "film tourism" wave is creating a strong boost for the tourism and consumer industries in many localities in China.
At that time, the scenes on screen will no longer stop at artistic value but become a real destination attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists.
Recently, the hit TV series "The Tree of Life" has created a clear effect in the Qinghai Plateau, Qinghai province, China.
The old train station - one of the main settings of the film - quickly became a famous check-in point, attracting more than 150,000 visitors in just 2 months, and also bringing in nearly 40 million yuan in consumer revenue from the surrounding area.
Tourists not only visit but also experience filming, participating in creative cultural markets, helping service ecosystems such as cafes and experiential tours develop strongly.
Not only "The Tree of Life", many other works are also contributing to promoting the local economy.
Liu Yifei's movie "Go to the Windy Place" has helped Dali (Yunnan) become a booming tourist destination, with tens of millions of visitors each year, leading to the revival of handicrafts such as fabric dyeing and wood carving.
The film was praised by the People's Daily as a work promoting the development of an entire city, contributing to helping Yunnan reach a record of 95.3 million visitors in 2023, while reviving handicrafts such as fabric dyeing and wood carving.
During the filming of Xiao Zhan's "Ten Years a Soldier", Chongqing and Qingdao opened a "mountain-sea" linked tourism route, creating a "ticket economy alliance" with more than 200 businesses, boosting fans' spending.
The movie "Spring Colors Sent to Lover" helps strongly promote the beauty of Quanzhou, while "That Year Flowers Bloom, Moon Is Full" contributes to reviving Shanghai culture and creating a strong wave of local language learning.
Hengdian World Studios Travel Company - has developed many role-playing experiences based on the appeal of movies. While Tuong Son company builds night market tours based on historical film settings.
In Luoyang and Inner Mongolia, tourism - consumption - entertainment combination models have boosted revenue to billions of yuan.
It is predicted that by the end of 2026, film tourism could generate more than 339 billion yuan, with a spreading effect. In essence, this is a trend of turning emotions on the screen into real-life travel experiences.
