Bollywood Tourism
It is an emerging global battle between tourism boards to join the Bollywood saga. Bollywood is the international and most popular definition of the Hindi film industry in India, which is perhaps also one of the largest in the world. By selling a billion more tickets than Hollywood, Bollywood showcases themes from around the world.
The Hindi film industry has now led fans of this popular film culture to experience cooler climates in the Finnish Lapland of Rovaniemi and Poland (Fanaa), Victoria in Australia (Salaam Namaste), Korea (Gangster), Brazil (Dhoom II ), Kandahar and Kabul (Kabul Express), Ras Al Khaimah (Deewane Hue Pagal, 36 China Town) and Malaysia (Don II). The trend that started with “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge in the 90s licking the borders of the UK and Switzerland has now transcended its borders across the Atlantic to New York with Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna and Kaal Ho Na Ho”.
As Dubai, along with Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Singapore are added as new destinations to Mumbai film repertoire, tourism boards around the world, along with Mumbai and India, are clamoring for a slice. of the Indian film industry which is expected to increase. cross a turnover of Rs 140,000 crore, according to a KPMG consulting report. Kashmir and Kerala have given way to global destinations as more producers travel west to film their musical films.
The Indian Ministry of Tourism and the Maharashtra government have also kicked up their socks and are looking to create public or private partnerships to promote Bollywood tourism, especially in the UK, which has already drawn up a counter-tourism strategy to attract visitors. fans of hindi cinema.
The British move is to allow Hindu moviegoers to roam the roads of the now famous British landmarks of London, Scotland and Yorkshire and relive their favorite Bollywood moments. With the official airline of the Indies proposing to add new flights to the London and Europe sector to connect the large community of Indian expats, Britain’s tourism department is already launching high in Bollywood through the sale and distribution of an innovative ” Bollywood Map of Great Britain “, with dozens of dots identifying now-seen scenes from Hindi blockbusters, places like Blenheim Palace, Waddesden Manor, widely used for shots of Kabhie Khushie Kabhie Gham (K3G) and many more places that were made famous in Bollywood movies.
In the recent past, Hong Kong saw a 24.7 percent growth in visitors from India and this has prompted the tourism board to learn about certain cinematic links between Mumbai and Hong Kong, which has plans to develop destinations and packages. tourism that revolve around Bollywood and also the market. Hong Kong’s sprawling production centers to Indian filmmakers. The Singapore Tourism Board launched a “KKrissh” tour package in 2006.
The Swiss success of Bollywood has now leaked to Finland and the Finnish Tourism Board (FTB) had recently organized programs for Bollywood dream merchants to get acquainted with Finland. The FTB proposes to provide location grants. Other simple methods and permits for setting up cameras and shots are being explored in Finland. The FTB’s idea is to sell the archipelago’s midnight sun and northern lights and bring it under the Bollywood arch of lights. With a direct Helsinki flight from India, it’s just a scene of waiting and watching with Bollywood fans adding the land of Santa to their vacation destination!
With film festivals and award shows in vogue, more and more countries are offering their destination points to buy Bollywood pre and post productions, and are also setting aside budgets for awards and featured shows. The Malaysian government had set aside around $ 2.7 million to host the 2006 Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA), thus boosting the sales of Malaysia as a top destination for Bollywood, which has already become famous in a large number of hindi movies.
Only recently have some private tour operators in Mumbai understood the need to take advantage of the “Bollywood” mistake as part of their Mumbai “Darshan” packages. These operators charge around US $ 100 or Rs 3,900 per head for a one-day guided studio tour with or without lunch packs. The experience brings tourists closer to understanding the nuances and technicalities of running one of the largest and most glamorous industries in India.
The trip includes a movie studio or soap opera at the location of one of the studios. Tourists can watch actors and technicians create scenes that most fans already know on the real stage, creating a ha-vu appeal.
Sometimes a post-production studio experience is included where tourists learn and watch dubbing, sound editing, and some other on-site special effects that are added to movies. As most of the live studios in Mumbai are not open to the general public, individual tour operators are left to work on their contracts with the studios with which they have a link. The Filmistan studio is one of the most popular public studios.
However, to really thrive on the real Indian movie experience, Tollywood or the South Hyderabad based movie industry is the place to be. With Mumbai singing Hindi movies, Telegu, the second most widely spoken language in South India, adds to the splendor and glamor of Tollywood.
Producing more than 150 feature films a year in and around the emerging new IT hub in Hyderabad, the city of Ramoji, one of the largest film complexes in the world, is worth a visit. With over 1,600 acres of layered cityscapes, soundstages, warehouses, post-production facilities, hotels, restaurants, the town of Ramoji is modeled after a theme park and has been awarded the Guinness Book of World Record as a city of full tinsel. The city of Ramoji is akin to experiencing the magic of movies and “real-time” scenes recreated like at Universal Studios or a Disney or MGM studio in the West. With an entrance fee of Rs 250 or $ 5, it’s an experience Mumbai has yet to enjoy! PURPOSES