The suggestions include signing up for a walking tour around locations in London, visiting an owl sanctuary (they mention one where the owls who played Hedwig and Errol now live). You could also hope a ride on the West Highland Railway, otherwise known as the Hogwart’s Express. Lastly they mention a trip to your local garden centre for a broomstick.

According to tourist authority VisitBritain, the UK needs to find more emotional appeal to potential visitors. VisitBritain found in a recent international tourism survey that we lag behind other countries on “emotional measures” such as being perceived as a romantic destination, or fun, or exciting.

…Films, apparently, inspire an estimated 40% of tourists in selecting their destinations.

Movies have already made a huge impact on tourist attractions in the UK. Since being featured in the Harry Potter films, Alnwick Castle has seen visitor numbers increase by 230%. According to the Film Council, 2006′s Pride & Prejudice boosted Chatsworth’s visitor numbers by 10% and Basildon Park’s by 75% – thanks to their star turns as Pemberley and Netherfield.

But beyond castles and stately homes, we need to set our cinematic moving moments in more recognisable places; this is what boosts “movie tourism”, according to a study cited by think tank Oxford Economics in its 2010 assessment of the impact of film on the UK economy.

In analysing the effect of 12 popular US films, the study found that when memorable movie moments become associated with an accessible location, there are 40-50% increases in visitor numbers – increases that endured for at least four years after the films were released.

So there you go, there’s the recipe for set jetting success, get some recognisable locations in there, and not just stately homes. It would probably be wise to caveat that, I’m not sure anyone would go to some of the council estates we’re blessed with, even if the most romantic scene in the world took place there.

It’s interesting to note that people want to go to places to re-enact or remember emotional scenes as well as because they may be a beautiful or interesting location.

Research conducted by the CSMA shows 12% of Brits have visited a film or TV landmark, whether it be the likes of Barry Island for Gavin and Stacey or Being Human, Cardiff for fans of Dr Who or locations linked to Harry Potter.

The tourism doesn’t stop either, with places like Turville in Buckinghamshire, home of The Vicar of Dibley still attracting visitors five years after it finished. And sites with historical links top the list:

The findings reveal that TV tourists are most attracted to TV and film locations that have added historical links, locations near the coast and rural spots, suggesting the next big hits to attract visitors may be the sets of forthcoming period dramas such as The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, set in the village of Rode in Somerset, and The Crimson Petal And The White, filmed at Rochester in Kent.

Figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions demonstrate the dramatic impact of being used in a successful film. After appearing in Tim Burton’s film version of Alice in Wonderland, Antony House, the National Trust-run 18th century Cornish mansion, saw visitor numbers quadruple from 25,000 to nearly 100,000 last summer.

The National Trust was a major beneficiary, making money from both shooting fees and increased visitors. On average, three of their properties were in use by film productions on any given day in 2010, earning the charity £5.5 million.

The Trust have been clever in shouting about the use of their properties in films, even having a web page dedicated to visits relating to films.

It wasn’t just the Trust who benefited though:

…the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich is hoping to benefit from the release of a new Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, On Stranger Tides, after the cast and crew spent six weeks filming there in October. Chief executive Duncan Wilson said: “They had 400 extras, 40 horses and the same number of vehicles filming on College Way and in the Painted Hall. I showed Johnny Depp around the hall and was able to tell him it was finished using pirate money from Captain Kidd’s treasure.”

If Harry Potter isn’t your style, they have a dedicated microsite for film locations used in many of the films shot in the UK each year, from films like Atonement and The Duchess to Casino Royale and Sweeney Todd.

It’s not easy getting to Dyersville, Iowa, especially since the picturesque town of 4,000 is 65 miles north of the state’s main highway. Nevertheless, it attracts roughly 65,000 visitors a year, from as far away as Japan and Australia. The reason? Dyersville is home to the Field of Dreams. “We encourage everyone to head to the corn, bring a bat, ball and play, or just sit on the bleachers and dream,” says Julie Kronlage of the Dyersville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, was released back in 1989! The article also notes many companies and tourist boards are getting wise to the benefits for both parties:

Wise to the dollars involved, more and more tourism boards are planning promotions around major Hollywood releases. With The Da Vinci Code, Sony entered into partnerships with tourism boards in London, Paris and Edinburgh to market the film, as well as the specific destinations where it was shot. “We started working together in May 2005 because we knew that there would be such an interest in the film,” says Jenni Steele of Visit Scotland. “It’s not everyday that this comes along.”

I was at Cannes last year and a huge number of countries and French provinces had stands showing not only what films had been shot in that location but also the facilities, locations and support they could offer to try and draw more productions to their neck of the woods.