A BLOCKBUSTER film may be a good way of packing people into the cinema but breathtaking backdrops and stunning scenery can also help boost tourism.

Holidaymakers are expected to flock to the Greek island of Cephallonia, the setting for the film Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which is in cinemas now.

Cephallonia is the largest of the seven Ionian islands, full of mountain ranges and superb sandy beaches, giving the scenery a dramatic feel. It is thought its use as a backdrop will inspire hoards of Brits to follow in the footsteps of its stars, Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz and British actor John Hurt, and visit the beautiful sun-kissed island.

After all, when the lights, camera and action are long gone, this is the closest many people will get to featuring in a scene from their favourite movie.

Panos Argyros, director of the Greek National Tourist Organisation's UK branch, says: "We have had a 20 per cent increase in inquiries by tourists about Cephallonia since the film was first advertised. People are even ringing us and asking how they can get to Mandolin's Island. The film has contributed to our tourist industry in a tremendous way."

A box office success can also translate into big bucks for the UK tourism industry.

Fern Walsh, who works for the British Tourist Authority and runs an Internet database of movies filmed across the UK at www.visitbritain.com/moviemap/ believes there is a strong link between the success of a film and a rise in the numbers of people visiting the actual or fictional location associated with it. She says: "The British film industry is invaluable to tourism. There are whole areas which have been completely revitalised by the success of just one film."

The National Trust, for example, saw a 39 per cent increase in the number of daytrippers visiting Saltham House in Devon, after it had a starring role in the 1996 hit Sense And Sensibility. Such historical locations are extremely popular with movie moguls and cinema fans alike.

Fern adds: "Most of the locations used in Britain are the more scenic, historical sites that are instantly recognisable. The three blockbusters, Rob Roy, Braveheart and Loch Ness were worth up to £15m alone to the Scottish tourist industry."

Sometimes movie moguls go to extraordinary lengths to recreate fictional places.

Film-makers wanted to use Corelli's Cephallonia as the main location for Captain Corelli's Mandolin - but were faced with one big problem. The island, as it was at the time of the book's World War II setting, was partly flattened following an earthquake in 1953.

Most of the old Venetian architecture was destroyed and replaced with modern concrete, but they re-created the idyllic Venetian backdrops with the help of a 350-strong production team.

Mandolin is set in 1941 Italy. A young Italian officer, Corelli (Cage) is posted on the remote Greek island and charms a local doctor's daughter, Pelagia (Cruz), with the help of - yes, you've guessed it - his mandolin.

The film is sponsored by Simply Travel, estate agents who specialise in holidays to the Ionian islands.

They offer a one-week stay, departing May 6 or 11. It costs £349 per person, based on two sharing and includes flights from London Gatwick, transfers and breakfast. Once there, you can visit film locations at Sami and Myrtos Beach and Argostoli, the capital city and site of the earthquake in the film. For bookings call Simply Ionian on 020 8541 2202.

SETTING THE SCENE

BILLY ELLIOT (2000)

Where it was set: the North of England.

Starring: Jamie Bell, Julie Walters.

Where it was filmed: Easington in County Durham where film-makers managed to secure the last remaining mine in the North-East to scenes. The streets of Easington was "dressed" as they would have been in 1984 during the miners' strike, when the story was set. Scenes of conflict between strikers and policemen were filmed in the town using 400 local people as extras.

Plot: A schoolboy hangs up his boxing gloves to learn to be a ballet dancer against the background of the miners' strike and his father's hostility.

Tourism: Local tourism chiefs are hoping that the international success of Billy Elliot will bring people into the area to see where the movie was made.

THE BEACH (2000)

Where it was set: a secret paradise island in Thailand

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Carlyle

Where it was filmed: Phuket and Ko Phi Phi Le island, Thailand

Plot: A lagoon island on the east coast of Thailand becomes home to a secret magical community of backpackers, but there is more to the paradise commune than meets the eye.

Tourism: Koh Pha Ngan is the first stop on The Beach backpackers' trail and the first stop in the film. Phuket is also a popular destination. Few find the elusive secret island of Ko Phi Phi Le, a tiny unspoilt island in the Andaman Sea. During filming, local Thai officials accused Twentieth Century Fox of destroying the holiday paradise island.

BRAVEHEART (1995)

Where it was set: Scotland

Starring: Mel Gibson

Where it was filmed: Glencoe and Glen Nevis, Scotland. Bizarrely, most of the film was actually shot in Dublin and County Kildare, Ireland. A medieval village was purpose-built at the foot of Ben Nevis in Lochaber.

Plot: William Wallace (Mel Gibson) is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against a cruel English ruler, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free.

Tourism: Scotland has attracted between £7m and £15m in extra tourist revenue thanks to blockbusters such as Rob Roy, Braveheart and Loch Ness.

OUT OF AFRICA (1985)

Where it was set: Denmark and Nairobi, Africa

Starring: Meryl Streep and Robert Redford

Where it was filmed: Kenya, Africa and North-East England (as a Danish winter scene)

Plot: Follows the life of Karen Blixen, who establishes a plantation in Africa. Romantic flick about troubles on the plantation, schooling of the natives etc.

Tourism: Boosted numbers of British tourists visiting Africa.

SHIRLEY VALENTINE (1989)

Where it was set: Greece and Liverpool

Starring: Pauline Collins, Tom Conti and Joanna Lumley

Where it was filmed: Mykonos, Greece and Liverpool. Other locations include Marylebone Station and the former Littlewoods store on Oxford Street, London.

Plot: A middle-aged Liverpool housewife goes on holiday to a Greek island finds true romance and decides to stay there.

Tourism: The film had an immediate effect on Greece's tourism industry. In 1989 they had 1.2m British tourists, by 1990 the figure was 1.67m.