Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Film Festival of Oostende, Belgium – a lively, rapidly growing event that celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. Alongside a diverse programme of premieres, retrospectives, and special guests, the festival hosted a study day on film tourism (setjetting) – a phenomenon increasingly popular across both the cultural and travel sectors.
On September 5, I was honoured to deliver the keynote speech, sharing insights from my research on the Millennium trilogy and its impact on Stockholm’s global image and visitor economy. The story of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist didn’t just travel through books and screens – it became part of the city itself, shaping new forms of urban experience.
My talk centred on how narratives generate value for places – not only economically but also in how we come to understand, imagine, and desire them. When storytelling intersects with tourism, and fiction merges with geography, something powerful occurs: identity transforms into experience.
The audience – composed of film commissioners, tourism professionals, cultural strategists, and researchers – responded with active discussion and thoughtful questions. There was also significant media interest: I was interviewed by De Standaard and De Tijd, and the De Standaard article provided a good overview of the themes discussed during the day.
(Facsimile from De Standaard to be added here)
While in Oostende, I also took time to visit the preserved remains of the Atlantic Wall, a haunting site along the coast where bunkers, tunnels, and artillery stand as stark reminders of World War II. Walking through the narrow concrete corridors, I was struck by the powerful tension between the mediated, imagined places we discuss in film tourism and the raw physical presence of real history. These bunkers are not fiction – they are narrative too, but of a different, irreversible kind. The contrast deepened my sense of how places speak, through both story and silence.
The Oostende festival reminded me that places are not just coordinates on a map – they are cultural constructs, built as much by imagination as by infrastructure. And in that space, film plays a remarkable role.
Summary of the article below: Belgian daily De Standaard ran a feature on film tourism to coincide with the Film Festival Oostende seminar. The article explored how audiences are increasingly drawn to destinations they’ve encountered on screen – a phenomenon known as setjetting. From the misty forests of Twilight in Washington to the dramatic landscapes of The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand, stories have become powerful drivers of travel. The article also noted that cities and regions actively seek out film productions to raise their profiles and stimulate economic activity.
The piece featured commentary from several experts, including myself, on the mechanics and impacts of film-related travel. I spoke about the Millennium trilogy’s influence on Stockholm, noting that when a city is tied to a compelling narrative, it tends to attract more visitors.
PS. While in Oostende, I also took time to visit the preserved remains of the Atlantic Wall, a haunting site along the coast where bunkers, tunnels, and artillery stand as stark reminders of World War II. Walking through the narrow concrete corridors, I was struck by the tension between the mediated, imagined places we discuss in film tourism and the raw physical presence of real history.
