The Cup which stars Pierce Brosnan to boost tourism

[Dr. No]

Films set to boost tourism hotspots


A blockbuster movie starring Nicole Kidman is set to spark a rush of British visitors to a comparatively untouristy part of Australia.

Called simply Australia, the film showcases Darwin in Northern Territory and depicts the devastating bombing of the town by the Japanese in the Second World War.

Darwin is a popular spot for cruise ship passengers and backpackers but lies in the shadow of the likes of Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as a travel destination for Britons.

Another Down Under movie due out in 2008 is The Cup which stars former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan and which is about Australia's famous horse race, the Melbourne Cup.

"Both films promise to reignite passions for Australia," said a spokeswoman for British travel organisation Abta.

Abta is also forecasting that the film Love In The Time Of Cholera, shot in Cartagena, promises to put Colombia back on the map of must-see destinations.

Another country likely to benefit from exposure to a screen treatment - this time on television - is Botswana in Africa which is the setting for the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - a creation of novelist Alex McCall Smith.

Abta is also predicting that the Beijing Olympics in August 2008 will whet British appetites for visits to China.

Abta said that early bookings for 2008 have so far shown a big interest in Turkey, Egypt, Portugal and the USA.

Visits to France next autumn will be boosted by the events to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

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