Life changing experiences: Film and Tourists in the Australian Outback

This article examines how films project the image and attributes of a destination, providing a promise of possible experiences for potential tourists. Its focus is on the Australian Outback. The study analysed 22 fictional-feature films set and filmed in the Outback. It was found that there were strong patterns in these films. Nearly all of the films represented the Outback through the eyes of a person who was making their first trip to the area. The majority of these films showed that person as being profoundly changed by their visit. Accordingly, it is argued that through film, the key promise to Outback tourists is that they will have profound life-changing experiences.