Pablo Jesús Huerta-Viso is a professor at the Gandia Campus of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, where he teaches and conducts research in the fields of audiovisual media, tourism, and digital communication. His work stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, which connects the cultural impact of screens with the territories where audiovisual content is produced and consumed.  

In recent months, Huerta-Viso has published two landmark scientific papers that address, from complementary angles, the relationship between streaming, filming, governance, and the tourist experience. On the one hand, his article “From the screen to the itinerary: a practical guide to designing, implementing, and evaluating film routes” proposes an applied framework for transforming media exposure into structured tourism products, incorporating interpretive mediation, design criteria, and cartographic tools.   

On the other hand, his study “Governance and incentives in the streaming era: lessons from Andalusia for the Valencian Community” analyzes how the emergence of OTT platforms has reconfigured competition for film shoots and which institutional models allow a territory to attract, retain, and manage audiovisual productions in a sustainable way.   

Both works position Huerta-Viso as an emerging voice in research on screen tourism and audiovisual governance, offering concrete tools for institutions, managers, and destinations to adapt to a rapidly changing ecosystem.  

In the last decade, streaming platforms have changed not only the way we watch movies and series, but also the way we travel, consume culture, and manage audiovisual production in different territories. Spain is a good example: while destinations such as Andalusia have managed to consolidate a competitive filmmaking ecosystem, other regions—such as the Valencian Community—are rebuilding their position in an increasingly demanding landscape.  

At the same time, the rise of so-called screen tourism is leading thousands of viewers to visit the real-life settings of their favorite fiction. But… what does it take to turn a series into a sustainable tourist attraction? And how does a region organize itself institutionally to compete for international film shoots?  

The articles cited explore the answer by combining two areas that are often studied separately but are more connected than they seem: film routes and audiovisual governance.  

The images we consume at home stir up emotions, a desire to belong, and fascination with the settings where the stories unfold. This phenomenon—which research has confirmed in multiple countries—explains why destinations that previously went unnoticed can become globally recognizable after the success of a fictional work.  

From Game of Thrones to Money Heist, productions spark an interest that can translate into visits… but only if the region knows how to transform that impulse into a structured tourism product. And that’s where film routes come in.  

Film routes are not a “list of locations”: they are stories in motion, itineraries that connect the emotional meaning of a work with real places, local services, interpretive narratives, and accessible technology. The result: a replicable, assessable, scalable tourism product with a distributed economic impact.  

Regarding audiovisual governance. The rise of streaming has generated global competition to attract film shoots. And that competition cannot be won with beautiful landscapes alone: it requires tax incentives, governance structures, one-stop shops, and a professionalized network of Film Offices. A comparative analysis between Andalusia and the Valencian Community shows why some territories attract more projects than others:  

The case of Andalusia is a prime example. The Andalusia Film Commission has set up a network of 36 Film Offices with standardized procedures, clear processes, directories of professionals, regular calls for support, and annual impact assessments.  

The result is more than 1,300 film shoots in 2023, €110 million in economic impact, and 21,000 jobs linked to audiovisual productions.  

The case of the Valencian Community, on the other hand, is a different one that we could describe as “under reconstruction.” After a difficult decade (closure of Ciudad de la Luz in 2012 and regional television in 2013), the region has reactivated its audiovisual ecosystem: 

• Reopening of Ciudad de la Luz in 2022  

• Creation of provincial networks such as Costa Blanca Film Commission and Film València 

• Announcement of a future regional Film Commission 

• Growth in the number of film shoots and media coverage 

But the diagnosis is clear: there is still a lack of integration, standardization, and uniform evaluation, which are essential elements for competing at the level of Andalusia.