Strategic partnerships between different public partners are necessary in order to develop screen products for tourism activities but as seen above most of these partnerships are not on a policy level. However, if collaboration is grounded on a policy level the likelihood of long term results is higher since it is a long term commitment from all involved parties. When collaboration only occurs on a project basis the risk is that these efforts only will have short term effect.
Strategic partnerships (public-public)
Destination awareness
Influence a brand
Bollywood phenomenon: Don 2 in Berlin
New Zealand’s LOTR/Hobbit campaign: 100% Middle Earth, 100% pure New Zealand
Visit Malta and Malta Film Commission
Creative marketing activities Vienna Canals - Third Man Tour
Apulia Film Commission and Puglia Promozione
Organisation
Product development
Cine Tirol Film Commission is hosted by Tirol Tourist Board
Film London’s movie maps & Underground Film Map Apulia’s Film Location Guide Third Man tours Vienna Ystad’s Wallander App
Figure 8: Table showing the impact of strategic public-public partnerships.
4.3 Strategic Partnerships – Public/Private The third example of best practice is strategic partnerships between public and private partners. While some of the collaborations between public-public organisations are a result of policy initiatives, many of the publicprivate partnerships are instead of a strategic nature. Organisations collaborate when both can gain from the partnership: a mutually beneficial situation for both partners. One example is when a tourism destination organisation collaborates with a production company. This is a common partnership type and it is beneficial as it is expected that viewers of the film will be attracted to the destination and tourists in return might be interested in seeing the film. This collaboration is also a way of accessing each others’ know-how and resources. From a destination point of view it could for example be a way of securing rights to publicity material. These partnerships could therefore enhance the awareness of the destination and in turn influence the overall brand. The UK’s national tourism agency, Visit Britain, collaborates with a film company for destination marketing purposes on one film per year. It is a tool to create awareness and enhance the brand of the UK as a tourist destination. Other good examples of creative marketing activities emerged from partnerships as highlighted in chapter 3. The painting blue of the houses in the village of Júzcar for the promotion of The Smurf film was triggered by an advertising agency and accepted by the village mayor. In Sandomierz the strategic collaboration went so far that the local council could influence which locations to select for filming. In this case the marketing became highly integrated into the screen product which is very effective as it is considered as more trustworthy from a tourist point of view. Another example of strategic collaboration on a more organisational level is the case of Ystad’s film co-ordinator who works for the council and acts as a liaison between the film sector and the public bodies. The policy undertaken by the council determines the internal organisation of their work and at the same time creates partnerships with different organisations. Public-private collaborations could also lead to product development. Visit Britain developed a film location app as well as a Skyfall competition which is also a game to mention just some products that could emerge from public-private partnerships. Further examples can be seen in the table below. Strategic collaborations between public-private organisations are primarily chosen from a tactical point of view. Some of the partnerships are ongoing while others only occur once for a special occasion. It is therefore important for a destination to identify the public or private key stakeholders with which to collaborate and the purpose of the collaboration.
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