Holiday Movie Tourism Thrives in Connecticut
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. — While films like “Christmas at Pemberly Manor” and “Romance at Reindeer Lodge” might not win Oscars, they continue to captivate a dedicated audience. This holiday season, many fans are visiting locations where their favorite movies were shot.
Connecticut is the backdrop for over 22 holiday films from networks like Hallmark and Lifetime. To tap into this popular trend, Connecticut is promoting tours of its charming towns, where plotlines often feature a corporate lawyer reuniting with a high school sweetheart managing a Christmas tree farm. (Spoiler: They typically end up together.)
“It’s thrilling to see the actual locations from the films,” said Abby Rumfelt from Morganton, North Carolina, after a stop on a holiday movie tour in Wethersfield. The tour included 53 participants, mainly women, and was organized by Mayfield Tours from South Carolina. Fans enjoyed watching corresponding films during the journey.
Debbie Mayfield, co-owner of the tour company, utilized the Connecticut Christmas Movie Trail, a map launched last year to promote the state’s growing holiday movie appeal. This was their inaugural Christmas tour to movie locations in Connecticut and neighboring areas, and it sold out in just two weeks.
The group enjoyed lunch at Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre, a historic site where parts of Hallmark films like “Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane” were filmed. Julia Koulouris, co-owner of the market, noted that the film trail has increased awareness of their establishment, evidenced by social media engagement from visitors.
Holiday films, which have been around since the 1940s, gained significant popularity with Hallmark’s 2006 release of “The Christmas Card.” This sparked a wave of similar movies, defined by a warm and predictable formula that resonates with audiences. The holiday movie industry is now estimated to generate hundreds of millions in revenue each year, producing around 100 new films annually across various platforms.
Connecticut’s chief marketing officer, Anthony M. Anthony, emphasized that the Christmas Movie Trail is part of a broader strategy to rebrand the state as an appealing place for both tourists and residents. However, there are ongoing discussions in the state Capitol regarding film tax credits, which could impact future movie productions locally.
