The Mega Opportunity for Destinations Title Film Tourism – The Mega Opportunity For Destinations Author MRSS India Date March 2018 Copyright No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form by photo, photo- print, microfilm or any other means without written permission of FICCI and MRSS India Disclaimer The information and opinions contained in this document have been compiled or arrived at from sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or warranty expressed is made to their accuracy, completeness or correctness. This document is for information purpose only. The information contained in this document is published for the assistance of the recipient but is not to be relied upon as authoritative or taken in substitution for the exercise of judgment by any recipient. This document is not intended to be a substitute for professional, technical or legal advice. All opinions expressed in this document are subject to change without notice. Neither MRSS India and FICCI, nor other legal entities in the group to which they belong, accept any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss however arising from any use of this document or its contents or otherwise arising inconnection herewith. Many of the conclusions and inferences are specific inferences made by MRSS India in their expert capacity specifically in tourism sector and does not have any correlation with financing related outlook that as a research organization may have. Contact Address FICCI Majestic Research Services and Headquarters Solutions Limited Rahul Chakravarty Chandramouli Guin Consultant,Tourism Head - Government Practice Federation House 1, Tansen Marg MRSS India Ltd. New Delhi - 110001 C-19, II & III Floor, D.D.A. Okhla Tel : +91-11-23311720-Direct/ Sheds, Behind Crowne Plaza, 23738760-70 (Ext.342) Okhla Phase I Fax : +91-11-23765333 New Delhi - 110020 Email : [email protected] Mob : +91-9810513326 For Further [email protected] [email protected] Information [email protected] [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary 7 Chapter 1 19 1.1 Introduction to the Indian tourism sector 20 1.2 Development of tourism Infrastructure 21 1.3 Government Initiatives 22 Chapter 2 25 2.1 Indian Media & entertainment industry 26 2.2 The Indian Film Industry 27 2.3 Film Tourism- the concept 28 2.4 Film tourism in India 29 2.5 Impact of Films on tourism 29 2.6 Bollywood’s Influence on Tourism 31 2.7 Indian cinema exploring new destinations 32 2.8 Indian Cinema promoting hill stations in India 33 2.9 Indian cinema promoting sea beaches in India 33 2.10 Hollywood Movies that had scenes filmed in India 34 Chapter 3 37 3.1 Introduction 38 3.2 Film tourism in Gujarat 39 3.3 Film tourism in Rajasthan 41 3.4 Film tourism in Delhi 42 3.5 Film Tourism in Odisha 43 3.6 Film tourism in Maharashtra 44 3.7 Film tourism in Kerala 46 3.8 Film tourism in Himachal Pradesh 47 3.9 Film tourism in West Bengal 48 3.10 Film tourism in Goa 49 3.11 Film tourism in Jammu & Kashmir 50 3.12 Film Tourism in Karnataka 51 3.13 Film tourism in Telangana 52 Chapter 4 55 4.1 Potential for Film Tourism in the Country 56 4.2 Key Drivers of Growth of Film Tourism in India 57 4.3 The Bollywood impact on international destinations 58 4.4 Immediate Areas of Improvement 59 Chapter 5 61 5.1 FICCI – MRSS 7 Point Road Map to promote film tourism 62 Bibliography 65 6 Film Tourism – The Mega Opportunity For Destinations Executive Summary Film Tourism – The Mega Opportunity For Destinations 7 Executive Summary It is widely believed that nothing unites India more than Cricket and Bollywood. Given the impact of ‘Cinema’ on behavioral changes on audiences, it has in recent years emerged as a powerful tool for the development and promotion of destinations. In addition to the exposure provided through films, there are many ancillary gains to the destination like income generation, investment, job creation etc which contribute to the overall economic development of the respective destination. Films are powerful tools to shape perceptions, create new ones and reinforce the old ones. Encouraged by the growth of international travel and the development of entertainment industry, film tourism is seen to be a growing phenomenon, which should be considered to be part of any tourism marketing strategy. Films can have an influence on travellers’ destination selection and thereby significantly to visitor flows. Films work as virtual brochures and offer more subtle way of marketing compared to traditional touristic campaigns. Place-placement, just like product placement, is seen as the ultimate touristic campaign as it gives access to wider markets, offers differentiation from competitors and can increase interest towards more unconventional touristic destinations. India, in addition to being one of the leading film producing countries with the filming community spread across various regions of the country, also offers a diversity of landscape and locations in the different States / Union Territories, making it an appealing destination for production of both international and domestic films. Film tourism can be visualized from two unique perspectives: one, the aspect of producing and shooting motion pictures, and secondly, the tourism activities induced as a result of the movies shot in a location or destination. Cinema acts as a Pull and Push factor in tourism promotion. It helps in delivering and exchanging our cultural and historical 8 Film Tourism – The Mega Opportunity For Destinations heritages to the next generation. Places covered during filming of any cinemas later becomes a tourist destination indeed this happens so because now a day’s people are more fascinated by cinemas and the celebrities in India. Film Tourism is also defined as a genre within tourism that provides a link with the location of a film or a TV series during or after the shooting. Film Tourism represents a gateway to new and more intense ways of experiencing destinations. At the same time, it creates the potential for new communities by way of an exchange of insights, knowledge and experience among the tourists themselves. In addition to the exposure provided through such films, there are many ancillary gains to the destination like income generation, investment, job creation etc. which contribute to the overall economic development of the respective destination. It is a well-known fact that film makers are always looking for new and exotic locations to shoot, while Tourism Boards around the world welcome film makers in order to boost inbound tourism. The story began in the 60’s with Raj Kapoor’s Sangam (1964), which was perhaps the first mainstream film to be shot in Switzerland. This was followed by a wave of destination films such as, An Evening in Paris (1967) and Love in Tokyo (1966). Several destinations have gained in terms of tourist influx by being the location popular due to domestic and international cinema. Switzerland will always be recognized as the landscape for Yash Chopra movies. UK has a tourism map, which highlights locations of popular Indian cinema while Spain has become the next hot destination for vacation with friends after a road trip film, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Indian spending on foreign travel has increased many folds. While entire Europe and USA are still struggling to come out of recession, as per an estimate, Indian travelers are expected to grow to 50 million from 22 million. Indian outbound market is sending strong growth signals to the Tourism Boards and National Tourism Boards (NTBs) globally, who have been experimenting for novel ways to tap this market within their restricted resources. Recent studies by global researchers have established the positive influence of films, on people‟s travel decisions, especially to the respective locations and destinations featured on the silver screen. With its glossy and larger than life portrayal in the films, some of these destinations have successfully captured the imagination of movie goers and entice them to visit the places where films are believed to be shot. Tourism Boards have been encouraging to use films as a medium for destination promotion since a blockbuster has a longer shelf life in the minds and hearts of film lovers Indians. The Tourism Boards of many countries, such as Switzerland, have in the past targeted Bollywood to showcase themselves as destinations for high-spending Indian travelers. In India there are also ample opportunities for Inbound Tourism beyond popular destinations such as Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan. Indian films can be a great platform to showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage, variety of travel destinations and diversity in cuisine to the world. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide strong support for Film Tourism to Film Tourism – The Mega Opportunity For Destinations 9 give a fillip to the “Incredible India” campaign and cinema as its sub-brand at various international film festivals and markets abroad. According to the MoU, the Ministry of Tourism will provide budgetary support for identified film festivals and offer single- window clearance permission to shoot films. This is expected to create a film tourism vertical that will promote India as a filming destination for domestic and foreign film producers. The following positive factors will certainly promote India as a location for shooting films: • Heritage and attractive locations o The world views India as a country with a rich cultural heritage and people want to get to know it better. o Worldwide, India is viewed as a spiritual destination. The movie Eat, Pray, Love showcased the spiritual aspects of the country to the world.