Not all those who wander are lost

: from fantasy readers into travelers

Abstract

Literary tourism is a segment of cultural tourism involving literary texts, authors, and space fiction. While these traditions have nurtured the connection between literature and travel, this study suggests that literary tourism is more than merely visiting the homes of writers and buying souvenirs, but it has transformed into specifically branded tourism attractions. Fantasy literary tourism is a growing niche in which fans travel to fictional locations, usually part of a fantasy saga. This research explores the psychological and emotional motivations that drive fantasy literature readers to become travelers and explores how perceived destination image and marketing influence these decisions. The study is a combination of 24 semi-structured interviews and 566 TripAdvisor reviews of fantasy-related destinations of important series like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Narnia, and The Hunger Games. The data was then analyzed using Leximancer software, which highlighted the key recurring themes of the dataset. The resulting findings point out the importance of nostalgia, immersion, and authenticity as the main drivers, with travelers seeking to connect with their childhood memories and experience the world they could only imagine while reading the books. Marketing strategies are also highly relevant: social media, theming and strategically guided storytelling contribute to the formation of travel intentions and destination appeal. This study makes a novel contribution to the under-researched context of literary fantasy tourism through its focus on symbolic consumption and provides practice-based insights into how destination managers and marketers can design emotionally engaging and thematically authentic experiences.

Date of Award	14 Oct 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Helena Rodrigues (Supervisor)