A CASE ON Film Tourism

Submitted by S.Amritha

PGDM-TTIITTM, GWALIOR

Submitted toMr. Ramakrishna kongalla

Asst. professorIITTM,GWALIOR.

What is film tourism?Film tourism shows the effects that film and TV-productions can have on our travel decisions , which inspire people to experience the screened places firsthand.  It is an excellent vehicle for destination marketing, and also presents new product development opportunities, such as location tours, film museums, exhibitions etc.

Impact of cinema.

Cinema in recent years emerged as a powerful tool for the development and promotion of destinations.Several destinations have gained in terms of tourist influx by being the venue/location of popular domestic and international cinema.

.In addition to the exposure provided through such

films, there are many auxiliary gains to the destination like income generation, investment, job

creation, which contribute to the overall economic development of the respective destination.

India, in addition to being one of the leading film producing countries with thefilming community spread across various regions of the country, it is the world’s largest film producer, producing over 1600 films per year with Tamil(262), Telugu (256) and Hindi (221) being the three largest film producing languages. Chennai (Tamil), Hyderabad (Telugu) and Mumbai(Hindi & Non- Hindi) cater to over 90% of feature films produced in India with Film Tourism potential.

Extension of financial support by the ministry for promotion of

film tourism

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has been taking up the matter of promoting India as a destination for film shootings with State Governments, requesting them to consider pro-active steps for promoting Film Tourism, which includes: (I) constituting a senior level Committee forcoordinating inter-departmental issues relating to tourism and facilitation required for film shootings

.(ii) identifying a nodal officer preferably from the Chief Minister’soffice for regular follow up in the matter.

(iii) identifying locations which could be promoted through films, in consultation with the Forest & Wildlife, Art and Culture, Heritage and Archaeology Departments.

.Assistance for a maximum of Five (5) Films only, at the maximum rate of Rs.2lakh per film, will be given to each of the State Governments / UT Administrations during each financial year.

Assistance for more than 5 Films for a particular State / UT, can be considered for an additional Two (2) Films, on receiving complete justification for enhanced support.

Potential for Film Tourism in the Country

Film tourism, a growing phenomenon with the tremendous growth of the entertainment industry and a big boost in travel sector. Yet, one of the biggest hurdles filmmakers face, especially in India, is to get permissions for film shoots.

Along with this several other issues points to the fact that there are gaps that need to be filled to make entertainment and tourism industries mutually beneficial to each other.

.Filmmaker Yash Chopra popularized Switzerland among Indian tourists with his movies so much so that the country honoured him by renaming a train and one of their lakes after Chopra.

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Tourist footfalls to New Zealand increased about four times after the release of ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ in 2000.

Very recently, film ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ has done wonders for Spain tourism.

.There are a plenty of examples like these to show that cinema and tourism share a deep-rooted relationship and films have a considerable influence on travellers when choosing a holiday destination.

The examples establish that movies are actually the best travel brochures.

INDIA INTERNATIONAL FILM TOURISM CONCLAVE

India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC)is

India first national Film Tourism event, promoted by Film Federation of India in association with Mercury Integrated, IIFTC is a trade promotion event to facilitate interaction between film commissions and tourism boards with the Indian film industry.

It is a b2b platform for film commissions and related organisations, to meet and interact with the prominent representatives from the film industry in India to promote their locations and

services for the purpose of film shoots.

Issues.Several countries have friendly policies to help filmmakers shoot at ease. In New York you just have to approach one office and they take care of all the permits.

Whereas in Maharashtra you need some ten clearances.

. Yet both haven’t been able to realize each other’s true potential. Issues like too many permits, red-tapism, lack of a film-tourism policy and many others have often discouraged filmmakers to look at alternatives like creating a set.

.Talking about the hassles, permits create for film shoots, veteran filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt narrated an incident. While shooting for Jism in Pondicherry early in the morning, the unit was asked to stop shooting as the Governor wanted to take a walk.

“Movies touch upon the desire to visit a location. We film-makers can do a lot for you and you can do a lot for us. All business engagements have to build upon mutual gratification. We are all the time looking for new experiences for the audience. Help us do that,” he said.

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With a focus on such issues and concerns Cinemascapes, A B2B conference and exhibition promoted by the publishers of Destination India, held its 5th edition in Mumbai at The Leela Hotel in October 2012.

The event aim to synergize the vastly underutilized resources of the entertainment and tourism industries from the Indian perspective.

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The two day event, covered topics :

A Film Tourism Policy for India,

How a Location can Contribute?

Need for a film tourism policy 

Even though Bollywood is the largest movie industry, there is no cohesive policy that would help the industry realize its full potential.

There is a need for a single window clearance, to get permission for film shoots.

Significance of a location

Sholay, the movie wouldn’t have been the same if it hadn’t been shot in that location. There was nothing but the rocks. The scenery is perhaps running in your mind as When spoken and one can picture Gabbar sitting on those rocks.

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That speaks about the significance of locations in a movie. And it is these locations that draw tourists. Movies are, perhaps, the best form of advertisement for a destination.

conclusion

Clearly, there is a long way to go before the worlds of cinema and tourism establish a mutually efficient relationship. There’s need for a film tourism policy and a less bureaucratic approach. Also, there is a need for more research into film tourism.