Oscar Nominee Film Locations Already Winners Says Skyscanner

Oscar Nominee Film Locations Already Winners Says Skyscanner

EDINBURGH, February 20/PRNewswire/ -- While actors, directors and producers bite their nails waiting for the results of Sunday's 81st Oscar ceremony, it's the film locations which are the real winners, according to leading flight search engine, Skyscanner (http://www.skyscanner.net).

The company's search data shows a 100% rise in flight searches to India following the release of Slumdog Millionaire, and following the release of Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia film, flight searches to the land Down Under have also risen substantially.

Rob Innes, head of marketing for Skyscanner commented on the 'Film Factor' and the huge benefits it can bring for the tourist industry:

"Skyscanner's data shows that countries can expect to see a significant boost to tourism when they are featured in a film. Movies are effectively one giant advert for a country.

"They capture our imagination in a far more powerful way than a guidebook or magazine article can, and inspire people to visit. Just look at what happened to tourism in New Zealand after the Lord of the Rings films, it's a prime example. Tourist numbers grew around 5% in each of the years those films were released."

Slumdog Millionaire, which has already won 7 BAFTAs, 4 Golden Globes and has been nominated for 10 Oscars, is giving India's tourist trade a particularly timely boost. Although the Indian sub-continent has long been a popular pilgrimage for Western backpackers, the Mumbai attacks last year projected a less positive image of the country as a tourist destination, but Slumdog has helped put it back on track as a great place to visit.

Moviegoer Jane Leyton from Edinburgh commented: "Watching Slumdog Millionaire made me want to visit India - it just looked so exotic."

As well as India and Australia, other Oscar nominated film locations are also expected to benefit from the 'Film Factor', including Bruges in Belgium - location for In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell, and Barcelona - location for Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

About Skyscanner

Skyscanner is the most powerful and flexible flight search engine in Europe, providing instant online comparison on flight prices for over 670,000 routes on over 600 airlines. With Skyscanner, users can browse without having to enter specific dates or even destinations, and Skyscanner is available in 20 different languages including French, German and Spanish.

http://www.skyscanner.net

Source: Skyscanner

Press contact: Sam Baldwin, Travel Features Editor, sam@skyscanner.net, Tel: +44(0)131-555-77-89

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Profile: International Entertainment