Releasing a study on film tourism, Joachim Holte, Chief Marketing Officer, Wego had said, as predictions of global tourism growth rise to the greatest levels in history, filmmakers join tourism bodies to maximise the impact a film’s location has on today’s more adventurous travellers. In his opinion, film and television can often spark the urge to visit the location they were filmed in.
For years, destinations around the world have targeted Bollywood in a bid to showcase their locations through Indian films. With the success of past films such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara shot in Spain, Ek Tha Tiger in Ireland and Turkey, Cocktail in South Africa, and the latest – Shaadi ke Side Effects in Australia, the tourism boards and NTOs have been on their feet promoting fresh, more exotic destinations, to serve as shooting locations for the Indian film industry.
Realising the outreach of cinema and TV, Indian state tourism boards have followed suit. The success of Dil Chahta Hai fuelled Goa’s image as the favourite holiday getaway for Indians. Go Goa Gone added to this fame. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani rekindled India’s love for Manali. Jab We Met did the same for Shimla. Life of Pi did wonders in promoting India to inbound tourists in addition to the domestic traveller. The list goes on…
Inspired by the success of film tourism, TV programme producers have also jumped onto the bandwagon. Saraswatichandra and Bade Achhe Lagte Hain showcased Dubai; in its glory days Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi shot a bit in Switzerland and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki went to Australia. More recently, Pyaar Ka Dard highlighted Victoria, with their recent promotions being centred round the show.
NTOs channel Bollywood
Ranging from incentives and subsidies offered to film producers to lending logistical aid to filmmakers, NTOs have tried every trick in the book to encourage Bollywood to use their locations to shoot, and thus highlight the destination to keen Indian movie-goers and potential travellers. The waves created by Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara are still a major motivation for Indian tourists to visit Spain. The Tourism Office of Spain continues to use the film and its backdrop as a promotional tool, while also extending logistical aid to other film makers who wish to shoot in the country.
Tourism Ireland has successfully incorporated Ek Tha Tiger into their promotional activities, with Salman Khan’s mass appeal continuing to draw in Indian interest in the destination. Although the film didn’t do well, Oman benefited from being one of the locations for Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara. The recent blockbuster Queen has reignited Indians’ wanderlust for Paris and Amsterdam.
In its study on film tourism, Wego revealed that the Singapore Tourism Board invested $6.3 million from its ‘Film in Singapore’ scheme that subsidises international film productions by up to 50 percent. Bollywood’s ‘Krrish’ was the first to take advantage of the scheme, and Indian tourist traffic to Singapore increased dramatically immediately after its release.
Early last year, Mauritius was set to tap Bollywood by increasing filming incentives for producers. Vijaye Haulder, Deputy Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) had earlier revealed that the Authority was increasing incentives for producers from 20 to 30 per cent.
Tourism Australia, in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland, collaborated with Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) and Balaji Motion Pictures (BMPL) on an in-film integration for the film Shaadi Ke Side Effects in a bid to promote Australia as the perfect choice for romantic holidays.
Speaking about the move, Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager – India & Gulf, Tourism Australia said, “Bollywood and General Entertainment Channel (GEC) platforms on television are established mediums to reach out to a wide audience base. Our associations with Shaadi Ke Side Effects and Pyaar Ka Dard on Star Plus were well received by the audience and helped us achieved significant returns through the integration as well as through PR opportunities measured by the Equivalent Advertising Value (EAV).”
Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC), in collaboration with Atlantis, The Palm had extended their support to the Bollywood film Happy New Year. DFTC partnered with Dubai Government entities to simplify the entire filmmaking process for the production team, while Atlantis, The Palm hosted a majority of the shoot in and around the resort’s iconic grounds. Emirates Airline also played its role in flying the stars and crew to Dubai for the production, while the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) provided extensive logistical support to facilitate the overall shoot.
Adding a new angle to Bollywood tourism, VisitBritain recently launched a Bollywood in Britain app that features filming locations of popular Indian movies. Joss Croft, Britain Marketing Director, VisitBritain revealed that the app features 50 locations in the UK with relevance to Bollywood, and also takes a live feed of any new Bollywood information, such as actors visiting the country or filming there, and allows people to share their own Bollywood experiences when in the destination.
“We know how popular Bollywood is here, and Britain has got strong credentials with a lot of films having been filmed in Britain. While London is the jewel in our crown, the association with Bollywood will also help us encourage travellers to visit other regions such as Lake District and Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. This is the first time a NTO has done a Bollywood app, and is also the first time VisitBritain has engaged in a bespoke digital activity for the Indian market,” said Croft.
Emerging markets tap Film Tourism
A fairly new entrant in India, Bulgaria has been excited since day one about tapping the potential on film tourism in the market. Stefan Ionkov- Head of Commercial & Economic Office, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria had commented earlier that Bulgaria Tourism is already in talks with film producer Mukesh Bhatt, and has even planned to invite a delegation from Bollywood this year to showcase Bulgaria as an ideal place for shooting movies.
And this seems to be a trend catching on with several new destinations trying to gain an entrance into the Indian market. Portugal, which only recently appointed an India representative, has already seen the results of a South Indian film song being shot in Lisbon. In fact, a delegation from Portugal that visited India recently included representatives from cinema production company Cinemate. Expressing their interest in film tourism, Rui Guerra, Line Producer, Cinemate said, “In 47 years, this was the first time an Indian production came to Lisbon. We found it a great experience and we would like to enhance that. Indian movies have been shot in so many countries across Europe. It would be a pleasure for us to work with Bollywood as well.”
India highlights home turf
Witnessing the success of film tourism as leveraged by NTOs and recognising the power and potential of the medium, State Tourism Boards have begun to use the big screen to highlight their tourism offerings. Despite being an established tourist destination, Goa roped in the recent film Youngistaan and its cast to promote the various festivals the state hosts through the year.
In a recent press conference, Umakant Panwar, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Govt. of Uttarakhand revealed that the destinations Binsar, Tehri and Champawat are being opened for film tourism. Maharashtra plans to make a Bollywood circuit to showcase Mumbai as the home of Bollywood.
States such as Gujarat and West Bengal have even signed on superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan as brand ambassadors. The tourism ministry of Jammu and Kashmir has also been wooing filmmakers to come to Kashmir.
“Some parts of super-duper hit ‘3 Idiots’ were filmed in Ladakh region and tourism went from 15,000 to 1.5 lakh post the film, which captured the scenic Pangong Lake, itself indicates Bollywood’s power to drive tourism. In the 1960s and 1970s, movies were shot in Kashmir and the places became known by the film or the stars in it,” Talat Parvez, Director, Kashmir Tourism, said at a CII conclave in New Delhi.
Citing the example of Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh’s 1983 hit debut ‘Betaab, he said that such was the craze that after ‘Betaab’, an area near Pahalgam came to be known as Betaab Valley. After ’3 Idiots’, the tourism in Kashmir tripled and people came to see Rancho’s school,” he added.
Shooting in Kashmir is easy, said Parvez and pointed out that the snow, lakes, blooms, mountains, good weather and hassle-free shooting procedures are the main attractions that draw filmmakers to the Valley. At a conclave in New Delhi, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt urged the industry to shoot more and more in the picturesque region, which reigned supreme till a bruising insurgency broke out in the late 1980s.
To establish India as a preferred filming destination and promote Film Tourism, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in February 2012, inter-alia, to promote Cinema of India as a sub brand of “Incredible India” at various international film festivals and markets abroad, to develop synergy between tourism and the film industry and to provide a platform for enabling partnerships between the Indian and global film industry.
To promote Film Tourism during 2013-14, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting have jointly participated in the Cannes Film Festival & Market, 2013; International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa; and Film Bazaar, Goa.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting recently proposed to operationalise a single window service for promoting Cinema Tourism in the country. “With a rich heritage and diverse geography, India has great potential as a destination for film shooting. However, the current system of multiple clearances at various levels has made it unattractive. Increasingly, most Indian filmmakers have gravitated towards foreign destinations for outdoor shoots. Any lost opportunity is a revenue loss for the country,” said Manish Tewari, Information and Broadcasting Minister, Govt. of India.
Also, to facilitate the single window clearances for film shootings, the government has set up a Committee on Promotion and Facilitation of Film Production in India, comprising senior officials from various departments like I&B, external affairs, home affairs, tourism, culture, railways, civil aviation, defence and revenue.
The state governments have been asked to nominate their nodal officers for film clearances, and Standard Operating Procedures are being developed to accord clearances for film shooting by domestic and foreign filmmakers in India, he said.
Silver screen takes centre stage
One of the largest campaigns this year was Tourism Victoria’s Pyaar Ka Dard, with cricketer and brand ambassador Brett Lee’s visit to India being the cherry on top. The TV show cast travelled to Victoria and shot there extensively, highlighting the destination to the show’s fan following. And it’s not just the soap operas creating ripples.
In recent years NTOs and State Tourism Boards alike have realised the power of the silver screen, appreciating that the medium has a greater reach and higher visibility than even the large screen, with the added advantage of frequent screening that builds stronger brand recall. Gujarat’s Bachchan campaign has had an impact like never before on the state’s tourism, increasing tourist footfall to the destination many-fold. The ad campaign is a lesson in promotion in itself.
While TV advertisements were always used to promote destinations, using real life stories has become the new trend. Australia’s campaign showed a theatre couple and an immigrant celebrity chef narrating their experiences in the country. Similarly, British Airways recently aired a short film online about a couple on their first holiday to the UK.
Tourism Australia took on a different angle of promotions on the small screen. Kashikar revealed that, as a unique promotional activity, when Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan were invited as special guests of the popular celebrity dance reality show ‘Nach Baliye’ on Star Plus, they shared their experience of filming in Australia and also gave away a special Australian holiday package to the champions.
