Foreign tourism boards clamor to be the next big Bollywood star

Film tourism – visiting foreign locales picturised in a popular movie – has started to become popular among Indian travellers and tourism boards of different countries are trying to cash in. The India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC), promoted by the Film Federation of India, now plans to tap this potential by bringing together producers, directors and representatives of different tourism boards on one platform.

Of the more than 750 movies produced in the country each year, around 80 are shot abroad and many Tamil producers are known to film song sequences in countries where even Bollywood directors haven’t gone.

“Single window clearance is crucial. Visa rules should be simple, charges should be minimum, producers need incentives because a lot of people will visit the countries after seeing the locations on the movie,” said Ravi Kottarakara, a producer.