Viewer’s Voyage Beyond the Screen: Embracing Film Tourism Experiences with Special Reference to the Oscar Winning Documentary “the Elephant Whisperers”

Film tourism a burgeoning niche within the travel industry leveraging cinematic experiences to attract tourists worldwide. “The Elephant Whisperers,” an Oscar-winning documentary directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, has significantly impacted tourism at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve's Theppakadu Elephant Camp. This documentary portrays the symbiotic relationship between the Kattunayakan tribe and orphaned elephants, shedding light on conservation efforts and indigenous lifestyles. This study explores the motivations and experiences of film tourists visiting the location featured in “The Elephant Whisperers.“ Through a mixed-methods approach, data was collected from 100 foreign tourists using questionnaires. Furthermore, tools such as simple percentage, T-test, ANOVA, Regression was used to attain a deeper understanding of the study. The analysis reveals insights into tourists’ motivations, emotional experiences, memorable tourism experiences, and their attachment to the destination. Results indicate that tourists are drawn to the destination by various factors depicted in the documentary, including fascination with elephant conservation, authentic wildlife experiences, and appreciation for indigenous cultures. Emotional experiences and memorable travel experiences positively influence tourists’ attachment to the destination, with memorable tourism experiences having a significant impact. Additionally, there is a strong inclination among film tourists to revisit the destination.