ITHACA, Greece — Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is drawing fresh attention to the Greek island of Ithaca, a place long associated with Homer’s epic hero Odysseus, as local businesses and officials anticipate an increase in visitors inspired by the film.
Ithaca, an Ionian island with about 3,000 residents, lies off Greece’s western coast and has remained outside the country’s main tourist routes despite its beaches, bays and literary connections.
The island itself does not appear in Nolan’s film, although the production used other locations in Greece. That has disappointed some local officials, who had hoped the blockbuster would feature Ithaca.
“We had reached out to the production team and asked that some scenes be filmed here on the island,” Ithaca Mayor Dionysis Stanitsas said. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t feasible.”
Stanitsas said the film has nevertheless generated significant publicity for the island and could drive more visitors in the coming year. Ithaca had already reached full bookings for the current tourist season when the movie premiered worldwide on July 16.
The film has also attracted visitors such as Giorgia Ongarato, a 50-year-old Italian lawyer who traveled to Ithaca because of her longstanding interest in Homer’s “Odyssey.”
“I studied Greek when I was a child, and I studied the Odyssey,” Ongarato said while arriving on the island.
Ithaca has held two open-air screenings of “The Odyssey” since its release, further connecting the film with the island’s tourism campaign.
Local restaurant owner Xhimi Xoxha said the movie was already generating publicity for Ithaca and expected the attention to continue.
The island offers few archaeological remains that could establish a historical connection to Odysseus. Instead, visitors encounter references to the epic throughout the island, including statues of Odysseus and Homer, boats named after characters from the poem and shops selling souvenirs featuring figures such as Penelope and the Cyclops Polyphemus.
Archaeologist Spyros Couvaras said the island’s appeal extends beyond its beaches because visitors increasingly seek its historical and mythological connections.
According to Homer’s epic, Ithaca served as Odysseus’ home and the destination of his long journey after the Trojan War. Local tradition also identifies Dexia beach as the place where the hero returned after years at sea.
Couvaras said Nolan’s film has helped renew interest in those stories.
“But behind Nolan’s film stands Homer,” he said.
