Placing Fandom : Film Tourism in Contemporary Fan Culture

Film tourism – visiting places associated with a film or television show – is an increasingly visible and popular practice. It is now almost expected whenever a new movie or television show draws on a particular place as a setting. But how are these places experienced by the fans who make these journeys? And as the practice grows, what role can these places play in contemporary fandom?
This dissertation investigates these questions using three case studies of fantastic film tourism – Game of Thrones film tourism in Dubrovnik and Northern Ireland, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, and Portmeirion, filming location for 60s cult favorite The Prisoner.
Through interviews, participant observation on site, and online textual analysis, I show how the imaginative experience of these places creates a personal, embodied encounter with all the facets of the text, and how they can become “places of fandom” that structure the contemporary fan experience in certain ways. In doing so, I present a new understanding of our relationship with media, imaginative worlds, and physical place.