Dear Reader,
The 35th edition of Spotlight explores how visual storytelling is reshaping tourism in India. From films and OTT platforms to travel vlogs and influencers, the article examines how destinations are increasingly discovered and desired through screens before being experienced in person.
It highlights international examples and considers how India can convert growing digital visibility into sustainable tourism, while ensuring that destination readiness, infrastructure and local participation keep pace.
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From Screens to Streets: How Visual Storytelling is Reshaping Tourism in India
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Tourism has traditionally depended on infrastructure, accessibility and destination marketing. Today, visual storytelling-films, television, OTT platforms, travel vlogs, social media and influencers-is increasingly shaping where people travel. Tourism journeys often begin on screens long before they begin on streets.
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The economic significance is substantial. The Ministry of Tourism’s India Tourism Data Compendium 2025 reports that tourism contributes 5.22 per cent to India’s GDP through its total economic impact, supports approximately 84.62 million direct and indirect jobs, and represents 13.34 per cent of total employment. India also records more than two billion domestic tourist visits annually. The policy question is therefore not whether tourism matters, but what increasingly shapes tourism demand.
This phenomenon, known as “screen tourism” or “film-induced tourism”, describes how exposure to destinations through entertainment and digital content can influence actual travel behaviour. A peer-reviewed Springer study, The Effect of Hallyu on Tourism in Korea, by Bae, Chang, Park and Kim, analysed 18 years of data between 1997 and 2014 and found a statistically significant relationship between Korean cultural exports and foreign tourist arrivals.
South Korea illustrates the scale of this relationship. Foreign tourist arrivals increased from approximately 300,000 in 1998, when Hallyu began gaining momentum, to 11.8 million in 2014. The proportion of Asian tourists rose from 71.3 per cent to 83.5 per cent, while Chinese arrivals alone reached 6.12 million, or 43.14 per cent of foreign arrivals. The researchers concluded that Korean dramas, broadcasting content and popular culture exports contributed significantly to tourism demand.
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New Zealand offers another prominent example. The Lord of the Rings trilogy transformed the country into a globally recognisable destination and enabled it to position itself as the home of Middle-earth, creating branding benefits extending beyond cinema.
Croatia’s Dubrovnik demonstrates measurable economic impact. Research by the Zagreb Institute of Economics, reported by the Dubrovnik Times, estimated that Game of Thrones generated an additional 244,415 tourists in Dubrovnik-Neretva County between 2012 and 2015. These visitors spent approximately €126 million and generated around 1.5 million additional overnight stays, with approximately 60,000 additional visitors annually attributed to the series. Reuters reports that approximately 1,000 tourists join Game of Thrones-themed tours daily during peak periods, while Dubrovnik receives roughly 1.4 million tourists annually. Local stakeholders have linked the screen association to business growth, employment and tourism diversification.
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OTT platforms have amplified these effects. Netflix surpassed 300 million paid memberships globally in 2025, giving destinations featured in successful productions potentially enormous and sustained exposure. Repeated viewing, social media discussion and algorithms can extend destination visibility far beyond a conventional advertisement. User-generated content, travel vlogs and influencer narratives further reduce information asymmetries and search costs by providing visual evidence of experiences, accommodation, safety and local culture, increasing traveller confidence.
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For India, the implications are significant. With more than two billion domestic visits annually, even marginal shifts in destination preferences can redistribute substantial economic activity. India combines diverse landscapes, cultural traditions, heritage and cinematic industries. Bollywood reaches millions domestically and internationally, while regional cinema, OTT platforms and creator-led ecosystems are expanding, creating opportunities for destinations outside mainstream tourism circuits.
Yet visual storytelling cannot substitute for tourism development. Destinations need infrastructure, visitor management and local participation to convert attention into sustainable economic value. Dubrovnik’s success also illustrates concerns around congestion and carrying capacity. Rapid media-driven growth can strain destinations if readiness does not keep pace.
The strongest tourism strategies will therefore connect storytelling with destination readiness. Visual content can create awareness and aspiration, but visitor satisfaction ultimately depends on transport connectivity, hospitality, cleanliness, safety and authentic experiences. Screen-induced tourism succeeds when digital narratives align with on-ground realities.
The evidence points to a clear conclusion: destinations are increasingly discovered, evaluated and desired through screens before they are experienced in person. South Korea’s rise from approximately 300,000 foreign visitors in 1998 to 11.8 million in 2014, Dubrovnik’s additional 244,415 tourists and €126 million in spending linked to Game of Thrones, Netflix’s more than 300 million paid memberships, and India’s over two billion annual domestic visits demonstrate the scale of this shift.
For India, the challenge is no longer simply attracting attention. It is converting digital visibility into sustainable visitation. Destinations that successfully bridge the journey from screens to streets will be best positioned to capture tourism’s economic opportunities in the digital era.
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