Harry Potter Film Location saves Gloucester Cathedral

Walt Disney knew it; Hollywood encouraged it and now Harry Potter has conjured up the latest interest in film induced tourism.

In a recent article Warner Bros were congratulated by manager of Gloucester Cathedral for the hoards that are now pounding their way to see this ancient building. It forms part of the location for the magical school Hogwarts in the multi-million pound franchise and the funds raised from the visitors assist greatly with the £5,000 per day, upkeep of the building.

A report by the New Zealand tourist board echoed this with its own results, followers of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, currently bring millions of tourist dollars into the country as a result of fans wanting to visit the film locations that made the films such a success.

Film websites like Reelstreets have understood this phenomenon for a while as well, here members are actively encouraged to discover movie locations and take the “now” photos to add alongside the sites “then” shots taken from classic British cinema. As the latest Harry Potter film hits the cinemas this month and the long awaited prequel to Lord of the Rings due for release in 2011 the trend of seeking out locations made famous by the movies looks set to continue.


Photo: Flickr, NotiX