The success of Notting Hill

Hello to all my readers ( not so many of then)!

First at all...do you remember this movie?

Exactly!!!! it was Notting Hill (1999), a love comedy from 1999, all us remember this movie because: the love story between this famous actress Anna Scott ( Julia Roberts) and the travel books seller William Thacker, the really nice neighborhood of Nottinsg  Hill (London), the market on the street ( Portobello Market)...and yes...the crazy housemate, Spike (Rhys Ifans).

After this brief introduction I'm going to continue analyzing the impacts that this movie had in the area and how this movie induced tourism:

• Creating on the tourist the need of visit the area, on film tourism is called "film tourism based on the location", and as the name says  because almost the entire movie was film in this beautiful area of London and this is the reason the tourist visit the area.
• Between long or short impact....it's obviously a long impact ( visible today), increasing the flow of tourists to the area and creating new jobs for the locals, diversifying the business of the market and the  area
• In terms of promotion, the movie supposed a huge marketing campaign and absolutely FREE for the area, one of the reasons of this huge promotion-impact was the great success of the movie all around the world. And the best part is, that the authorities of Notting Hill didn't do anything for promote the movie or area.
• On our days the number of tourist that weekly visit the market is around 100000.

and all they lived happily even after!...it will nice to say this, but unfortunately there is something wrong:

• This increase in the number of tourist brought a increase of the prices properties in the area ( it was really expensive already), it pushed many locals out of the area, unavailable to afford the rise in the prices.
• The market losses in some point the authenticity, in the beginning it used to be a market where you could find: antiques, food, vintage stuff.......and now thanks to the movie....souvenirs everywhere.
• The market is overcrowd, spoiling the quality of the visit
• Loss of privacy by the locals, congestion ( impossible to walk sometimes)
• Congestion
• Loss of local business
• Saturated public transports
• ...

In conclusion to say, that this movie was really good for the promotion of the area and to help to bring new tourists to the area, but in the other hand, do you think that the area need it? if in future you visit the area, do you think that Notting Hill is trying to get away of the movie (DEMARKETING)??

I leave you some pictures, useful links and  a funny anecdote

 

LONDON TIMEOUT:
http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/notting-hill-area-guide

VISIT LONDON:
http://www.visitlondon.com/discover-london/london-areas/west/notting-hill

PORTOBELLO ROAD:
http://www.portobelloroad.co.uk/

Funny anecdote:

For my brother in law, one of the reasons to come to visit me in London it was because of the movie and the impact that it created on him, well, the first time that he came he couldn't because something went wrong back home and he need to fly back to Spain...my sister and me... putting our self on his situation decided to visit Portobello market and the famous travel book shop......he became very angry.

On his second visit, finally he visited Notting hill and for him, the amazing travel book shop, after all he says it was the most disappointing place ever! it wasn't any more a travel book shop!

Hope you enjoy this post!

REFERENCES:

Graham Busby and Julia Klug (2001) Movie-induced tourism: The challenge of measurement and other issues, University of Plymouth, Seale-Hayne Campus, Newton Abbott, Devon TQ12 6NQ, UK

MacLeod, Nikki (2013) Film and TV Tourism , University of Greenwich