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IT'S ALL ABOUT LOCATION, LOCATION . . .
(The Herald Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Film locations have long held a mystical allure - look at what The Lord of the Rings has done for New Zealand, Captain Corelli's Mandolin for the Greek island of Cephalonia and Local Hero for Pennan, Aberdeenshire. This has given birth to special breed of traveller - the set-jetter.
Spotted everywhere from New York to Nairobi, set-jetters are more likely to visit places they've seen on celluloid rather than in a brochure. Recent research showed more than a quarter of travellers from the UK opted to visit a place after seeing a film or reading a book that featured it - and this coming year will give plenty more inspiration.
Top of the list are Paris, pictured, London and Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian - all locations for the forthcoming film adaptation of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code. Brown's book has sold more than 40 million copies and the movie, starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Sir Ian McKellen, is due out on May 5.
London looks likely to benefit from Woody Allen's latest offering, Matchpoint, showing in cinemas now. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the movie is set amid some of London's best-known landmarks including Westminster Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and 30 St Mary's Axe (the Gherkin). Visit London and Film London have created a map based on the locations featured.
Memoirs of a Geisha, which went on general release yesterday, paints a powerful portrait of Japan. Set in Kyoto during the 1930s, the adaptation of Arthur Golden's 1997 novel - starring Zhang Ziyi of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers fame - tells the story of Sayuri, a celebrated geisha. It looks set to spark renewed interest in Japanese culture.
Others destinations include St Vincent, where Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, was filmed (due out on July 7). Then there's the art-deco charm of the hippest city in Florida with a remake of Miami Vice, starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx (out on August 4).
Tourism here could also enjoy a boost as the Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby, shot in Stirling, Edinburgh and the Highlands, opens in cinemas on February 10.
Northern Ireland hopes CS Lewis fans will be tempted by its lures. The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, released last month, was filmed mainly in New Zealand and the Czech Republic, but Lewis experts claim Northern Ireland provided inspiration for the magical land of Narnia - the author having spent much of his childhood in the Holywood Hills and Mourne Mountains.
There may even be some icebreaker cruises to Antarctica thanks to hit documentary March of the Penguins.
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