“The initiative will see India as the the most attractive filmmaking destination globally.”
— Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister for Minority Affairs
The recent fifth Global Film Tourism Conclave (GFTC) organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) in Mumbai saw stakeholders discussing ways to promote film tourism in India.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, who inaugurated the meet said that the initiative would see India as the the most attractive filmmaking destination globally. India had everything that the industry needed to thrive: the landscape, resources and potential, he said. The minister asked the industry and other stakeholders to work together with the government to create a strong environment for film tourism to grow at a faster pace, reported ETTravelWorld.
Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, India, said that the Indian film industry was producing more than 1200 films every year in multiple languages and witnessing double-digit growth. The industry was valued at INR 183 billion in financial year 2020. Singh went on to say that the Ministry of Tourism was “placing great emphasis on the promotion of film tourism” and was enabling the states to prepare suitable policies to facilitate shooting permissions with single-window clearances for film projects and provide necessary incentives to attract filmmakers. The Ministry, he said, recognised such efforts through the National Tourism Award given each year under the category ‘Most Film Tourism Friendly State’.
“Films play an important role in society and the contribution of the industry is immense for the country’s economic growth.”
— Ravinder Bhakar, CEO, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) & Managing Director, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC)
Sing mentioned that many countries and their tourism boards were targeting Indian filmmakers to showcase their destinations and attract tourists. India also needed to step up its efforts to attract foreign filmmakers as it was an ideal destination to shoot movies with its diversity of locations, lower costs, skilled yet inexpensive manpower and plenty of local talent,” he added.
Ravinder Bhakar, CEO, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) & Managing Director, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) pointed out that films played an important role in society and the contribution of the industry was immense for the country’s economic growth. Permissions, he said, were easily granted to both domestic and international filmmakers to make the shooting process easier. The government was working on incentives and packages for the film industry for increasing distribution bandwidth and promotion of tourism. “The only concern is the exploitation of the destination which should be treated more sensitively,” Bhakar said.
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