Turning around its reputation of being unwelcoming to welcoming movie makers has proved a boon to Greece, including the films luring more visitors to check out the country for themselves, actor Idris Elba said.

Sometimes mentioned on short lists to take over the role of James Bond – he’d be the first black person to do so – Elba said at the World Government Summit in Dubai that Greece made the shift as it was going through an  economic and austerity crisis and it worked very well.

Governments announced tax rebates and incentives to attract international film and television production companies to come and shoot in the country, leading to a number of high-profile films and series featuring Greece.

“This helped bolster tourism and created employment opportunities for Greece,” he said, filmmakers now setting their sights.