Tourists already visit Louisiana because of what they’ve seen at the movies and on TV, but the Bayou State is making it easier for them to visit where their favorite scenes were filmed, The Daily Advertiser reports.
A study released in April by the Louisiana Office of Tourism and market research firm MDRG estimates that 9% of visitors were influenced by viewing productions filmed and set in Louisiana.
Now people can easily find those locations through a new movie trail that Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser unveiled last week at an annual tourism summit. He plans to unveil it to Chinese counterparts on an international trip this weekend.
He says young Chinese travelers are an emerging market when it comes to international travel. More than 2,500 films have been shot in Louisiana, featuring the likes of Dolly Parton, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Elvis Presley.
There are at least 25 travel sites on the trail. From “All the King’s Men” in downtown Baton Rouge to “The Beyond” in Madisonville to “Steel Magnolias” in Natchitoches, you can see where it all went down—and for free or a few bucks.
Some tourists can see from their car. Others invite them in for a tour of a museum, like the Otis House at Fairview-Riverside State Park or the Bonnie and Clyde Museum in Gibsland.
