present an experience that cannot be obtained elsewhere, therefore successfully
monopolising their market.
As a city known for its uninterrupted period architecture, Bath is familiar with
filming and has a designated film office under its Bath and North-East Somerset council. 55 The broadcast of Bridgerton in 2020, was an unexpected and persistent
success story for the location that presents many of the aspects of management
covered in this essay. From disruption to the area and businesses during filming,
through to the eventual economic benefit locals hoped for, the circumstances reflect key findings of other studies this essay draws on. 56 The commitment to filming
required street closures and management of local residents by the council. Whilst
also accommodating crew vehicles away from the immediate locations due to space issues and monitoring essential equipment on set. 57
Bath welcomed the instant success of the series after the detrimental impact of the Pandemic. 58 Promotional content reaped the benefits of the city’s sudden visibility, since the series reached around eighty-two million households within the first month. 59 The interest in the city has even been catered for in a google-earth map of filming locations. 60 Which provides for intrigued parties without having to physically accommodate visitation. The show has been credited with the ‘Bridgerton effect’, restoring tourism after COVID -19. 61 This is reflected in the special offers by
Hotels providing a Bridgerton experience that have since become an international
55 Reynolds, p. 49. See also S16. 56 Somerset Live, Bath traders say their business plummeted because of Bridgerton filming (2019) <https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/bath-traders-say-business-plummeted- 3579629> [accessed 15 July 2023]. See also Somerset Live, Traders affected by filming thoughts on the drama (2021) <https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/bridgerton-what-traders- affected-bath-4801020> [accessed 15 July 2023]. For other studies, see Reynolds. Or see Schiavone. 57 For the filming of Queen Charlotte; A Bridgerton Story , see Bath Film Office, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. A Behind the Scenes Look at the Filming in Bath (2023), <https://www.bathfilmoffice.co.uk/news/queen-charlotte-bridgerton-story-behind-scenes-look-filming- bath> [accessed 9 July 2023]. 58 BBC, Bridgerton: Bath and Somerset's 'opportunity' after Netflix hit (2021) <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-55922610> [accessed 15 July 2023] 59 Katie Rowlette, The Bridgerton effect and how it's saving Bath's tourism industry (2021), <https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2021-07-05/the-bridgerton-effect-and-how-its-saving-baths- tourism-industry> [accessed 8 July 2023] 60 VisitBath, Bridgerton in Bath (2023), <https://visitbath.co.uk/inspire-me/film-and-tv-in- bath/bridgerton-in-bath> [accessed 13 July 2023]. 61 Bath & North East Somerset Council, The City of Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan: 2010-2016 , p. 7. See also Rowlette, The Bridgerton effect and how it's saving Bath's tourism industry.
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