Harry Potter casts spell on location vacations

LONDON - For tourism chiefs eager to entice "set-jetters" to Britain, Harry Potter offers the ideal location vacation -- and the latest book and film look certain to stoke renewed Pottermania.

The teenage wizard certainly knows how to wave his magic wand over cathedrals, colleges and castles. Being featured in a Potter movie is a ticket to tourist success.

"The right film can be a giant advert -- seen by millions of people -- for the unique appeal of a destination," said Tom Wright, chief executive of VisitBritain.

"We estimate around one in five of Britain's international visitors are inspired to come here by the images they see in movies or on TV," he said.

The tourist industry was so grateful that it even awarded an outstanding achievement "Oscar" to Harry.

For tours inspired by movie and TV locations -- known in the trade as "set-jetting" -- are enjoying a boom.

"The Lord of the Rings" gave New Zealand tourism a massive fillip after the fantasy trilogy was set there. From Indiana Jones to Elvis Presley, Hawaii proved a perfect backdrop.

The global success of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" gave specialist tour operators a big boost in Britain -- but nothing matches Potter's longevity.

ATTRACTIONS

J.K Rowling's final book in the wizard saga comes out next month just after the latest Potter movie.

"Our tours tend to peak just before another Potter book or film comes out. Then people go bananas (crazy) for Potter," said Jason Doll-Steinberg, marketing manager at British Tours Ltd whose summer bookings are on the rise again.

"Films really are a great advert for the country. It was a real shame 'The Lord of the Rings' was not shot here. New Zealand benefited from a British phenomenon."

He is bombarded with calls from historic attractions asking to be included in specialist tours and "My advice always is -- get into the next Potter blockbuster and you will be laughing."

Sites selected for the films certainly hit the jackpot.

At Alnwick Castle, Britain's largest inhabited castle after Windsor Castle, Philippa Pendrich said "We have done very well thank you."

At the castle used for exterior shots in the movies, she said "Pre-Potter we had about 68,000 visitors a season. Last year we had about 195,000."

At Christ Church, one of Oxford University's most famous colleges, head custodian Tony Fox said "It has improved our economy no end, boosting revenue by 50 percent."

"In pre-Potter days you would sit around for hours on end and get no one in," he said of the dining hall used as the Great Hall in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Gloucester Cathedral feels equally blessed.

"We could potentially attribute 50,000 people over a couple of years to Potter," said chapter steward Mark Beckett.

And no corner of Potter's magical world is overlooked.

King's Cross Station in London even erected a "photo opportunity" plaque for Platform Nine and a Half where Harry boards the school train to Hogwarts.