Bonanza
As well as bringing a direct spending bonanza,
the five-day event would enhance the Highlands’
image as a location for film and TV work. However,
the area will face stiff international competition
to capture the event, going head-to-head with
the likes of Melbourne.
Leading the bid, the Scottish Highlands and
Islands Film Commission believes it has the
credentials to capture the conference, which
last year was held in Hollywood’s home
state, California.
The area is already noted as a location for
films such as Rob Roy, Mrs Brown and Highlander,
while television series such as Hamish Macbeth
and Monarch of the Glen and a range of commercials
and pop videos were produced nearby.
Studio Plan
Plans for a £20 million film studio in Inverness,
backed by the Scots actor James Cosmo, are also
in the pipeline and an increasing number of
specialist personnel and services are based
locally.
Moira Unwin, of the Highlands of Scotland Convention
Bureau, said: "This would be a fantastic event
to win. There would be huge media attention
over the five days of the conference which would
help spread the word about the area.
Highland Ambassadors
"We would show the delegates some great Highland
hospitality and then, hopefully, they could
act as ambassadors for the Highlands and Islands
when they return to their home areas."
The importance of the film industry to the region
has been long recognised. The Highlands enjoyed
something of a purple film patch in the early
1990s when the making of blockbusters such as
Rob Roy, filmed near Fort William, and Loch
Ness, were commonplace.
Stars of the calibre of Liam Neeson, Mel Gibson,
Ted Danson and Jessica Lange all made films
on location in the north, with the world premiere
of Loch Ness held in the now-closed city centre
cinema, La Scala.
Big Movie Bucks
It is thought the movie and TV business is worth
at least £4 million a year to the Highlands
and Islands - and possibly double that figure
- and the industry is providing significant
opportunities to businesses in the north of
Scotland.
An economic impact study of the film Rob Roy,
starring Liam Neeson, found it brought in £7
million, and then generated around £15 million
worth of tourism business in the four years
after its release in 1996.
Braveheart Draw
The figure for Braveheart, which was released
in 1994 and encouraged more than 500,000 Americans
to visit Scotland, is thought to be as much
as £100 million. The film is still worth as
much as £250,000 a year to the tourist trade.
A recent survey also found that as many as 9
per cent of tourists choose to visit the Highlands
because they have seen the scenery in films
and on television in their homeland.
The BBC TV series, Monarch of the Glen, has
been sold to 12 countries and an estimated 50
million people worldwide are expected to see
the gentle drama and its spectacular Highland
setting.
