By now, most locals know that Sun Peaks was the photogenic set for most of the movie My Secret Santa. The film became the No. 1 English-language movie on Netflix in its first week. This raises the question: how much will all this screen publicity impact the resort municipality on an ongoing basis?
One winter resident of Sun Peaks has been studying the knock-on effects of “film tourism.” Dr. Simon Hudson is a professor emeritus from the University of South Carolina, with a publishing pedigree encompassing 12 tourism books.
“Film tourism — or ‘set-jetting,’ as it is sometimes called — is not a new phenomenon,” Hudson said. “Just look at the huge impact The Lord of the Rings films had on New Zealand visitation.”
Film tourism has increased in popularity in recent years in part thanks to trends in tourist behaviour, with travellers seeking to collect experiences, Hudson explained further.
“More importantly, visiting a film location gives them considerable social capital.”
The penchant for posting every signature vacation experience on social media has increasingly influenced destination marketing efforts over the past 20 years according to Hudson. During that timeframe, tourism destinations have realized that film productions not only generate short-term economic impacts for a location, but can also result in global brand exposure for minimal investment.
“In fact, some have found that having their destinations appear in films and TV shows can be more effective than traditional promotion avenues, so they have started to leverage the phenomenon,” said Hudson, calling this “destination placement.”
Often, footage is filmed in one location but meant to depict another. For example, the Academy Award–winning Brokeback Mountain was shot in Alberta but represented Wyoming on screen. This can result in less marketing impact for the original location. Travel Alberta had to insist on a Times Square promotion led by cowboy-costumed actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, and also successfully reached out to Oprah Winfrey to secure Alberta references in her interview with the stars, Hudson recalled.
Conversely, My Secret Santa has positioned Sun Peaks Resort as a real, recognizable winter destination rather than a fictional “movie mountain,” according to Aaron Macdonald, chief marketing and communications officer for Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR).
“It’s rare to see a holiday film put a real mountain resort on the global stage this clearly, and even rarer to see that attention sustain weeks after release,” he said.
Morphing back to last season’s filming, how did it all happen?
The initial introduction came through the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission, which actively promotes the region and resort to film and television productions. The commission works closely with Creative BC, which encourages and supports filming throughout British Columbia.
Selling points for Sun Peaks Resort included its “authentic alpine village and slopeside setting, a compact, walkable resort layout ideal for filming, existing infrastructure and operational experience supporting large-scale productions, and a collaborative approach from resort and hospitality teams,” Macdonald explained.
The Sun Peaks Grand offered an ideal setting for both production and accommodation, he added.
Other movie personnel were accommodated at Switchback Creek condos and townhomes.
“Once the production team visited and engaged with on-resort leadership, it became clear Sun Peaks Resort could deliver both the visual storytelling and the logistical support required to bring the film to life,” Macdonald recalled.
Having secured the film, arguably the biggest coup was getting the script changed to call the destination Sun Peaks and the hotel the Sun Peaks Grand.
“From the outset, Sun Peaks Resort strongly supported using the real destination and hotel names, rather than fictional ones,” Macdonald said. “At the same time, the resort advocated for keeping explicit references to country and state out of the storyline.”
Rather than anchoring the storyline to any specific geopolitical context, he added, this neutral creative choice ensured the film was timeless and broadly relatable, with a focus on “holiday magic, connection and place.”
This authenticity of location has allowed viewers to discover Sun Peaks seamlessly, giving the resort an enduring brand exposure.
Pivotal in this project, was SPR’s director of events & partnerships, Liz Wilkinson. When she attended the Locals’ Premiere Dec. 14, she counted a dozen references to the resort and hotel before giving up counting.
“What’s resonating isn’t just the story, it’s the setting,” Wilkinson said. “People want to know if this place is real, and when they discover it is, the conversation shifts to visiting.”
So how does this exposure translate into material gains?
“After premiering on Dec. 3, My Secret Santa held the number one and number two positions on Netflix for approximately two weeks, reaching just over 18 million Netflix views during that period,” Macdonald said. “In parallel, coverage in key U.S. media markets generated significant earned reach, with individual articles achieving impression counts exceeding 16 million.”
The resort has noted a sharp uptick in global awareness, sustained media mentions, ongoing search and social interest tied to filming locations, and increasing “where was this filmed?” digital discovery behaviour. Additionally, there have been enquiries from other productions.
Staying power may be reinforced by the way the village itself functions almost as a character within the story, Macdonald explained.
“Common descriptors across coverage include ‘classic alpine Christmas setting,’ ‘a place that feels real and visitable,’ and ‘storybook winter village.’”
Holiday escapism is another dominant narrative in the coverage.
“Many media outlets connect the film’s popularity to a broader appetite for cosy, aspirational winter settings, walkable villages, slopeside lodging and a lifestyle that blends outdoor adventure with warmth, cosiness and comfort,” Macdonald added.
Unlike pure ski movies, My Secret Santa is attracting a more general audience, including non-skiers, opening the appeal of Sun Peaks Resort to different markets. With destination weddings in vogue, the resort has recorded a surge of enquiries from couples keen to stage their storybook wedding in the dramatic scenery of the picturesque village.
“While couples have not explicitly cited My Secret Santa as the sole reason for their interest, there has been increased activity around winter wedding availability and planning,”Macdonald said.
The timing suggests the film may be contributing to broader awareness of Sun Peaks as a winter wedding destination.
For marketing and brand awareness, My Secret Santa offers the resort a “destination storytelling opportunity” rather than a short-term promotional moment, Macdonald explained.
Targeted media outreach is repositioning the film as a real place to visit.
“Editorial and blog content is focused on behind-the-scenes storytelling and guest engagement,” he said.
For visitors, digital-first village maps, QR-driven content and photo opportunities tied to filming locations help capture the essence of the movie. To ensure consistent storytelling, frontline “cheat sheets” are also provided for resort personnel, guest services, hotel teams and Sun Hosts.
Key initiatives include dedicated landing pages on the SPR and Sun Peaks Grand websites, which have already recorded high viewership. In addition to an embedded film trailer and behind-the-scenes context, the pages feature a film location map highlighting on-mountain, village and hotel scenes. To evaluate return on investment, the resort is capturing film-related intent via search engine optimization and paid searches, while monitoring and amplifying earned media.
Holiday movies are inherently “evergreen,” Macdonald said.
“As a Christmas film expected to resurface each season, My Secret Santa provides Sun Peaks Resort with recurring, long-term exposure that continues well beyond the initial release window.”
With plans to attract other film projects in both winter and summer, Sun Peaks Resort is positioning film tourism as a cornerstone of its future marketing strategy.
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