The Trifecta of Popular Culture Tourism: Pursuing eternal life among the living and un-dead

The purpose of this paper is to follow up and explore popular culture destinations over time to understand what makes them last. Travel driven by global fan cultures may emerge suddenly and surprisingly for destinations with unpredictable increase in demand associated with popular cultural phenomena such as films, literature, or music. Whether or not this interest will last is a critical question for businesses and other stakeholders that are looking to develop a destination for new visitor groups. We conducted interviews at the same three destinations associated with the Twilight Saga books and films as a previous study published more than 10 years ago. The findings show three different timelines with waves of formative events related to media products, people and artifacts assets and as the main forces driving development and change. For example, in terms of media products, all three destinations saw boosts in audience engagement through the release and re-engagement of books and films. Regarding people, local and a strong celebrity engagement as well as staff and fan engagement were evident at all Twilight Saga destinations, at varying degrees. Exhibitions, events, themed accommodations, merchandise, and guided tours were typical artifacts at all destinations. Our main conclusion is that meaningful interlinking of territorial capital, in the form of media products, people, and artifacts, are central in the creation of ‘eternal’ popular culture destinations, closely interlinked in evolutionary waves of formative events. • The study offers unique insights into the longevity of Twilight Saga tourism destinations in the United States and Italy. • Long-lasting popular culture tourism spots combine territorial assets like media, people and artefacts to sustain tourism. • Popular culture tourism destinations follow different trajectories, shaped by media products, people and artefacts. • Local communities, fans, volunteers, and businesses play a key role in sustaining interest and adapting to tourism shifts.