With films and books such as The Da Vinci Code, Harry Potter and the classic Pride and Prejudice drawing crowds of visitors to Britain, it will be interesting to see what sort of impact Tsotsi will have on tourist numbers in Johannesburg and Soweto.
The movie, for all its violent theme, provides cinema-goers with some fascinating glimpses of Egoli, so there is always a chance that admirers of the talented young Presley Chweneyagae will want to come here specially to track the places where the film was shot.
A reader of The Star has suggested that the theme of the film may deter visitors as the hijacking storyline is too close for comfort. That may be so, but crime, after all, is prevalent in all cities.
Johannesburg already receives tens of thousands of visitors each year and they come in spite of the city's reputation. Soweto, in fact, is listed as one of the top-10 tourist destinations in South Africa. Perhaps Tsotsi will push it further up the list.
There is no doubt that good movies provide millions of rands-worth of free publicity for locations around the world, often placing the destination firmly on the tourist map.
Not only do film stars and crews draw the crowds while on location, but years later, the cities, towns and villages continue to rake in the cash, with tourists still coming to see the place where a certain movie was made.
Britain has been quick to capitalise on the places featured in current films. Harry Potter fans, for instance, can tour a range of British locations made famous by JK Rowling's amazingly successful books.
When the film was shot, King's Cross station in London provided the film's magical Platform 9¾. Any boy and girl visiting London invariably wants to visit the station, which features prominently in several Harry Potter movies. Yet, interesting as the old station buildings are, a few years ago they would hardly have rated a second glance.
From there, fans head for London Zoo. It is here that Potter realised he had the ability to communicate with snakes. The scene, as portrayed in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, is a magical one. The zoo, incidentally, is a must for all youngsters visiting London, Harry Potter fans or not.
Aerial views of Big Ben, the River Thames and Parliament Square, which show Harry's arrival in London, provide more images for Potter devotees. Then there are shots of him and Hagrid walking through London's Leadenhall Market as they approach the Leaky Cauldron, set in Charing Cross.
Scenes of Gringotts, the Wizards Bank run by goblins, were filmed in the marble expanse of Australia House on the Strand. However, it was filmed in a secure area not open to the public (apart from a once-a-year open day). The Knight Bus scenes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were filmed in Borough Market and Blackfriars Bridge.
Indulgent parents may want to take their children on an even more extended trip. It is possible to visit locations as far afield as Oxford University's Christ Church College, Gloucester Cathedral, Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath and even the tranquil village of Lacock.
The trip will not necessarily be all sacrifice on the part of moms and dads for the Potter locations are in the prettiest parts of Britain, the Cotswolds being a case in point. In fact, that's one part of Britain no visitor should miss. The rose- covered cottages, cobbled streets and picturesque gardens are a photographers' dream.
Jane Austen's book Pride and Prejudice tells the romantic story of five spirited girls who must find husbands or become impoverished governesses. Though the tale has been told many times, it never fails to touch a chord. This time, the film provides cinema-goers and tourists alike with more places they simply must see when next in Britain.
Derbyshire's Chatsworth House and Burghley House in Lincolnshire were both used as the setting of the home of the romantic lead, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Matthew Macfadyen provides such a moody portrayal of Darcy that many a starstruck young woman heads for the area. Who knows if she may yet encounter a modern-day Darcy lingering in the countryside
The film most likely to draw crowds, however, is the controversial religious tale, The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown - and not only in Britain. The French tourism authorities announced in Johannesburg last week, that plans are afoot to join the British in promoting Da Vinci tours.
Apparently, much of the filming was done in France and when the movie opens in May, tours to places shown in the movie will already have started.
Britain is used to its role as a literary and film location, but never has there been so much interest as that for The Da Vinci Code. According to VisitBritain, a variety of locations, from London to Edinburgh, have experienced a visitor surge since the phenomenal success of the release of Dan Brown's novel, and anticipation is even higher for director Ron Howard's movie version.
The novel - read around the world by more than 40-million people - mixes fiction with fact to page-turning effect, and has now been turned into a movie starring Tom Hanks, Sir Ian McKellan and Audrey Tatou. It centres on a secret society, the Priory of Sion, that exists to safeguard the secret of the Holy Grail.
Starting in Paris, France, with a memorable scene in the Louvre, Dan Brown's thriller climaxes in Britain, as the increasingly beleaguered symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tatou) look for the mysterious Teacher.
The pair's search starts at Temple Church in London, just off Fleet Street in the lawyers' district, the Inns of Court. One of the capital's oldest churches and, until recently, one of its best-kept secrets, it was built by the Knights Templars - who protected pilgrims who were travelling to Jerusalem - and was consecrated in 1185.
It is open to the public from Wednesdays to Sundays - and the choir is one of the best in Britain. Services are still held weekly and its tranquility is highly prized. Take time to sit down and soak up the atmosphere.
It features the effigies of nine knights and is the only surviving church in London that was built in the round.
You should also stop by the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square to look at Leonardo da Vinci's celebrated painting The Virgin of the Rocks, which is also referred to in the novel.
The action then moves onto Westminster Abbey. As permission was not given to film at the abbey, Lincoln Cathedral, the third-largest cathedral in Britain, was an admirable replacement, being "one of the world's most glorious gothic edifices," according to co-star Sir Ian McKellan (Leigh Teabing).
Consecrated in 1092, thousands of visitors already visit the cathedral each year - all of them trying to get a look at its famous Imp, a stone figure on display on the choir stall. To get an eagle-eye view of where director Ron Howard and his crew filmed, you can book a place on the Roof Tours.
As is the way of film makers, the crew left behind various artefacts and the cathedral is arranging special tours when the film opens, with talks on what happened behind the scenes and Lincoln's connections with the Knights Templar.
There will be a chance to see some of the props used, including monuments that might look as if they're made of marble but were actually constructed - movie-style - from polystyrene and wood.
When it came to the key location of The Da Vinci Code - Rosslyn Chapel - no substitutes were considered. Howard was "really excited" to be filming at the real location.
One of Scotland's most mysterious buildings, Rosslyn Chapel, lies about 11km south of the capital, Edinburgh. The chapel has puzzled scholars for centuries.
Built in the 15th century, it holds carvings of North American corn on the cob and cacti, created long before Columbus supposedly discovered America.
It is covered with intricate carvings, both inside and out, most of them with an allegorical meaning. Dan Brown was inspired to write his novel after visiting the chapel in 2001.
One thing is not in doubt. The church is one of the most extraordinary in Europe, built by the St Clairs, a family with links to the Knights Templar.
Claims have circulated for centuries that this church has been the repository for something central in Christianity, whether the lost scrolls of Solomon's Temple, or the Head of John the Baptist, brought back from Jerusalem at the time of the crusades.
- This article was originally published on page 10 of The Star on March 21, 2006