PHOTO: London & Partners hopes Paddington will lead many visitors along his trail in London. (Courtesy of London & Partners)

Once again, destination marketing will find a comfortable seat on the coat tails of movie marketing. From Hobbits to Harry Potter, attracting movie makers to use your destination as a location has enormous benefits for both film maker and tourism promoter. In the upcoming promotions by London & Partners using the soon to be released Paddington film by STUDIOCANAL, vulnerable children will also be beneficiaries.

In anticipation of the November release in the U.K. and the U.S. release in December of Paddington, a movie based on the affable bear in the stories by Michael Bond, VisitLondon.com  is joining with STUDIOCANAL and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), to promote the Paddington Trail, which will be unveiled in October.

The trail is the creation of many artists, designers and celebrities who are supporting the campaign and the funds it will generate for the NSPCC in its efforts to protect children. Bond’s original Paddington story, now some 60 years old, is ideal as a narrative to open up a city new to first time visitors.

In the story a young stowaway bear from Peru is alone in a big strange city. The trail will track Paddington’s favorite places in London. Paddington is taken in by the Browns who offer him a loving, welcoming family. It’s just the sort of family that the NSPCC is trying to cultivate for British children.

You won’t get lost on the trail as 50 Paddington Bear statues will be placed in museums, parks, shops and landmarks throughout London to mark it. London-based design company 3DEye is creating the three foot six inch tall statues, all of which will be auctioned later in the year to raise money for charity partners. The Paddington film was shot throughout London.

The Paddington stories have sold more than 35 million books around the world. The film will showcase many of the trail locations in the capital, including his first port of entry – Paddington station. The film from STUDIOCANAL and Heyday Films is written and directed by Paul King (Bunny and the Bull, The Mighty Boosh) produced by David Heyman (Gravity, Harry Potter) and stars Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman with Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington.

It’s looking like London will hit record arrival numbers this year. In the first three months more than 3.6 million overseas visitors to London gave the city its best first quarter in its history. The International Passenger Survey (IPS) showed an 8.6 percent increase on last year’s, confirming that London is on track to welcome more visitors in 2014 than the 16.8 million that came to the city in 2013, which was also a record. Spending in the first quarter reached £2.44 billion, a 14.6 percent increase compared with the first quarter of last year.