Locations 2003: World''s first film tourism event flagged off

Mumbai: Locations 2003, the world's first film tourism event at the JW Marriott Hotel, was flagged off by Union Minister for State for Tourism, Culture and Parliamentary Affairs Bhavnaben Devrajbhai Chikhalia.

Representing the film fraternity were Manmohan Shetty (managing director, IMAX Adlabs Films), who delivered the special address. Nitin Keni (executive producer of Gadar) delivered an address on the film industry and locations. Dr Jayathilak IAS (managing director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board) delivered the keynote address. Chhattisgarh has taken the initiative to be the sponsoring state for Locations 2003.

Designed as a business-to-business event, Locations 2003 is an exciting new opportunity to explore the convergence between the film and tourism industries. The objective of the event is to introduce film and television producers and production houses from India, the world's second-largest film industry, to exotic and unexplored locales around the world and to provide networking opportunities for business development for the film and tourism industries.

Locations 2003 presents tourism promotion boards and agencies with an opportunity to give the country's tourism industry a boost through film tourism by promoting their region and locations through the Indian film industry. The two-day event will have representatives from six countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Bavaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania and the Netherlands, showcasing their countries' offerings to the film, television and advertising industry in India.

The strong advisory board of Locations 2003 have celebrity names like Shetty, Ashutosh Gowariker (AGPPL), Kiran Shantaram (sheriff, Mumbai), Seshagiri Rao (MD, Padmalaya Films), Supran Sen (secretary, Film Federation of India), Kuldip Verma (ITDC), P Parmeshwaran (executive director, NFDC), Dr P V Gangadharan (vice-president, Federation the International of Producers of Films) and Vinay Newadkar (founder, Asian Film Federation).

Says Shetty: "We make over 800 films every year and every producer is always looking out for new virgin locales for shooting. Locations will provide a platform for exchange of information between the film and the tourism industry."

"Promoting films is to promote our culture and thereby promote our tourism; films are a medium to reach the various corners of the world. Locations is an excellent opportunity for bringing the tourism and film industry together," says Chikhalia.

Locations 2003 introduces the concept of film tourism that enables countries and regions to leverage the enormous visibility that the Indian film industry provides to boost their tourism potential. For film commissions, infrastructure service providers, studios, tourism development organisations, resorts, cruises or a good old location scout, Locations 2003 is the event that will enable them to explore exciting new business opportunities that the Indian film, television and advertising industries offer.