Cinematographic image of Barcelona and the tourist consumption of the city

Abstract

Numerous studies have considered the relevance of films as a powerful tool to generate and disseminate destination image. However, the relationship between the perceived image of a destination and the consumption of its space remains underexplored. This study focuses on bridging this gap, taking Barcelona as a case study. Firstly, a content analysis of five international films was carried out to determine the most recurrent landmarks. Secondly, official statistics from the DMO were examined to determine visitors' consumption patterns of the city. Finally, the relationship between tourist image and visitor' consumption patterns was analysed using Pearson correlation. Findings suggest that the tourist sights most visited in the city are, in turn, the places which systematically appear in the films analysed