Jump off the screen into reality

Lights, camera ... rolling!

On a movie tour, that is.

By bus or on foot, visits to spots where films and TV shows were shot get top billing from many tourist bureaus.

Travelers can gawk at the lagoon where Elvis Presley crooned in “Blue Hawaii,” get lost in the Monterey, Calif., fog of Clint Eastwood’s thriller “Play Misty for Me” and shop where “Sex and the City’s” Carrie Bradshaw exercised her credit cards.

It’s a growth business. Boston Movie Tours was to make its debut last week; San Francisco’s version is headed for a fall opening.

New York-based On Location Tours Inc. sends about 1,500 people a week on its four movie-themed itineraries, up from about 50 when the company started six years ago, said founder Georgette Blau.

When Bob Jasper and Jerri Wassink began Movie Tours Inc. nine years ago on Kauai, Hawaii, “we almost went broke,” Jasper said. Today, the company takes about 1,000 people each month on Kauai tours, and its licensees run tours in Monterey, Boston and, soon, San Francisco.

The appeal?

“People love movie stars in this country,” Jasper said. To many, just walking where stars once walked can be a thrill. Here are some sources for tours and guides:

* Movie Tours, (800) 628-8432, www.hawaiimovietour.com. It is one of the oldest companies in the field and offers bus, helicopter and off-road trips to Kauai sites such as the now-shuttered Coco Palms resort (“Blue Hawaii,” 1961), Wailua rain forest (“Jurassic Park,” 1993) and the North Shore (“South Pacific,” 1958).

The cost is $101 to $277 per adult, plus tax; less for children. Film clips of the relevant scenes are shown on video monitors.

For information on Movie Tours licensees, visit www.bostonmovietours.net, www.montereymovietours.com and www.sanfranciscomovietours.com.

* On Location Tours, (212) 683-2027, www.screentours.com. It operates one walking tour, focused on Central Park ($15), and three bus tours: “Sex and the City” ($35), “Sopranos” ($40, based on the cable TV series) and the “Manhattan TV and Movie Tour” ($30).

* The British and London visitor bureaus, www.visitbritain.com and www.visitlondon.com. Britain’s website suggests itineraries related to the Harry Potter series and upcoming movies such as “Pride and Prejudice,” to be released in the fall. (Click on “Books & Movies” under “Holiday Ideas.”)

The book and movie area is among the three most-visited sections of the website, said Visit Britain spokesman Paul Chibeba. New releases often rocket to the No. 1 spot, he added.

On London’s website, you can download maps and descriptions of locations from several movies, including “Closer” and “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.” You can guide yourself or link through the website to companies that run movie-themed tours.