Juliette Irretier
Published: 21 January 2019
Going to a Better Place: The Geopolitics of Film Tourism from Germany to Scotland.
University of Glasgow
Going to a Better Place: The Geopolitics of Film Tourism from Germany to Scotland.
The influence of filmic depictions of cultural heritage and landscape on tourism is well documented, but it remains unclear how the political context of film production and reception contributes to the travel motivations that this imagery evokes. A case study on German tourists visiting Scotland can provide this insight, Germany being Scotland’s main European market for tourists (VisitScotland 2017). The thesis examines the influence of political circumstances on international flows of film tourism, specifically focusing on how they are affected by recent political developments in Europe.
Following the referenda on Scottish independence and Brexit, references to Braveheart (1995) continue to appear in the political sphere, William Wallace’s battle for freedom becoming an allegory for national identity and activism (Pennamen 2014; Reyab 2017). Simultaneously, with visitor numbers increasing after Brave (2012) and Outlander (2014-), Scotland has been experiencing a reoccurring ‘Braveheart Effect’ (McArthur 2003: 131; Martin-Jones 2015). The positive national image in these films is particularly appealing to Germans, as ‘Scotland is—to the fractured and painful story that is German nationalism—a counter example’ (Phipps 2016).
First published: 21 January 2019