Film-Induced Tourism and Experiential Branding: A Purpose-Driven Conceptual Framework with an Exploratory Illustration from Monsanto (Portugal)

This conceptual paper proposes a purpose-driven experiential marketing framework for film-inspired destinations, integrating sustainability and emotional engagement into destination management. The model comprises five interconnected dimensions — integrated experience, branding, people, emotional touchpoints and processes — articulated through purpose-driven marketing principles and aligned with relevant Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) indicators. This alignment reinforces the model’s capacity to support ethical, transparent, and sustainability-oriented destination strategies. The framework was developed through an interdisciplinary literature review and is illustrated with insights from an exploratory case study of Monsanto, a rural Portuguese village recently featured in HBO's House of the Dragon. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of local stakeholders, including tourists, residents, entrepreneurs, and institutional representatives, and analysed thematically to assess the model’s relevance and practical applicability. The findings suggest that emotional engagement, co-creation, and territorial authenticity play a central role in shaping memorable, film-related tourism experiences that align with the destination’s purpose and value creation. The study also highlights the strategic importance of storytelling, audiovisual narratives and stakeholder collaboration in strengthening place identity and achieving sustainable differentiation. Although the study is exploratory in scope, the framework offers practical guidance for destination management organisations (DMOs), cultural programmers, and creative industry actors. The article concludes by identifying avenues for future research, including cross-regional validation, digital experimentation, and the quantitative assessment of experience dimensions.