Tourists are increasingly flocking to the UK for a taste of cinema magic, experts say.

According to a report released by the UK Film Council last year, internationally-distributed films and TV shows are helping boost visitor numbers to featured locations around the country.

Of these, stately homes, historic and religious buildings, and rural landscapes are proving the biggest draws.

If the films go on to achieve cult status - like Trainspotting and Monty Python - the attraction could continue for years, the report adds.

Martin Evans, spokesman for marketing agency The Tourism Business, says: "Certain areas like London have benefitted the most internationally, but villages like Goathland, in the North Yorkshire Moors and used in the Heartbeat TV series, and attractions like Alnwick Castle in Harry Potter, have also seen visitor figures more than double as a direct result of being seen on screen."

Top tips for 2008 include Keira Knightley flicks The Edge of Love and The Duchess, filmed in Wales and Greenwich respectively.