Nearly a third of tourists visiting Bristol and the West of England have been influenced by seeing the region on screen in shows such as Doctor Who and Skins, according to new research.
Visit West, the region’s destination marketing organisation, said 30% of visitors were attracted by films or shows shot locally. This reflects the increasing value of ‘set-jetting’, or screen tourism, to the UK visitor economy. 
The organisation behind the Visit Bristol website – one of the UK’s most successful consumer tourism sites – released its two latest pieces of research to coincide with English Tourism week, which started today.
One report estimates the value of tourism to the region to be worth £2.13bn, with the sector employing around 41,000 people.
These figures show it has almost fully recovered from the devastating impact of Covid-19, with its contribution to the regional economy now 91.5% of its pre-pandemic 2019 figure.
At that time some 45,000 people were working in the industry in the region.
The report also shows that food, drink and retail account for almost 60% of all visitor purchases, with day trips making up almost half of the total spend in the region.
Of those staying for at least one night, 79% came from within the UK, with 21% international visitors.
A second piece of research commissioned by Visit West and funded by the West of England Combined Authority surveyed visitors to the region.
As well as revealing the pulling power of its film and TV locations, it also showed some people mentioned that their trip was to visit a specific venue or attraction such as Clifton Suspension Bridge or Brunel’s SS Great Britain, or to a restaurant such as The Ivy in Clifton Village.
Visit West managing director Kathryn Davis said English Tourism Week was a chance to celebrate what the industry meant to the local economy and to understand its importance to the region.
“Through our diverse work with tour operators and media, we have ensured the region is included in itineraries, brochures and travel publications across the world,” she said.
“None of this would be possible without the amazing people who work in the industry either directly or indirectly, our friendly west country welcome, the vast range and quality of attractions, food and drink experiences, cultural activities and events, along with a fantastic shopping offer.”
Bristol is recognised as one of the UK’s most film-friendly cities, offering a one-stop shop for film and TV productions of all sizes ranging from location and crewing advice to recces and logistical support. As a result, the city has appeared as the backdrop in scores of shows and films over recent years.
An episode of Doctor Who’s 60th three anniversary specials screened last December was filmed extensively in Bristol’s Old City with support from Bristol Film Office.
To mark the occasion, the film office released a Doctor Who in Bristol Movie Map plotting every Bristol filming location featured in the iconic series over the past 60 years. In total, 16 episodes of the classic programme have been made, in full or in part, in the city
Other recent made-in-Bristol productions have included Rain Dogs (BBC/HBO), Alex Rider (Amazon FreeVee), and The Outlaws (BBC/Amazon Prime Video).
Visit West, which regularly attends travel trade events around the world to showcase the region, was last year awarded LVEP (Local Visit Economy Partnership) status by Visit England, meaning it can access more support and training opportunities to find ways to attract new visitors to the region.
Under the new scheme it can also attract new investment opportunities to help supercharge an industry that remains crucial to the region’s economy.
As well as the Visit Bristol website, Visit West also runs Meet Bristol and Bath, the region’s convention bureau that includes business development and marketing of the region as a destination for business events, along with a comprehensive digital programme of direct mail, social channels and campaigns along with extensive work with the travel and influencer media.
The research and visitor survey were carried out by The South West Tourism Research Company and The Evidence Agency respectively.
