The Tourism Committee of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organized the 4th edition of Global Film Tourism Conclave with the theme ‘Experience the potential of Cinematic Tourism’ on 21 January 2020 at Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach. The programme was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Producers Guild of India was the Synergy Partner for the programme.
Inaugural Session of the Conclave witnessed H.E. Ms. Eleonora Dimitrova, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria; H.E. Mr. Radu Dobre, Ambassador of Romania; Mr. Vinod Zutshi (Retd. IAS), Former Secretary – Tourism, Government of India; Dr. D K Aggarwal, President, PHDCCI; Mr. Rajan Sehgal and Mr. Kishore Kaya, Co-Chairmen– Tourism Committee, PHDCCI; Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, Principal Director, PHDCCI and Dr. Jatinder Singh, Director, PHDCCI.
Dr. D K Aggarwal, President, PHDCCI, said, “PHD Chamber and Ernst & Young have jointly released a report, which states that Film Tourism has a scope to generate $3 billion by 2022 in India as there is potential for up to 1 million film tourists to visit the country by 2022”. However, to achieve this potential, there is an urgent need to simplify, incentivize and promote this segment. All state governments must consider setting up of online portals for single window clearance facility.”
H.E. Ms. Eleonora Dimitrova, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria and H.E. Mr. Radu Dobre, Ambassador of Romania gave a detailed presentation on the locations and incentive schemes for film shootings in their respective destinations.
Mr. Vinod Zutshi (Retd. IAS), Former Secretary – Tourism, Government of India, spoke about the initiatives of the Ministry of Tourism and various state governments for promoting Film Tourism. He said that the Government of India has also approved execution of MoUs with various countries to foster bilateral cooperation through Film Tourism.
Leading Indian Filmmaker known for blockbuster movie Gadar-Ek Prem Katha – Mr. Anil Sharma andnoted Producer and Managing Director of Tips Industries – Mr. Ramesh Taurani who has produced movies like Race, Race 2, Race 3, Entertainment and many others, were felicitated during the programme for their contribution towards the Indian Cinema. Theyrequested to curb the lengthy process of approvals and permissions to shootin Indiaand urged the state tourism boards to come out with film industry friendly policy.
Mr. Rajan Sehgal and Mr. Kishore Kaya, Co-Chairmen – Tourism Committee, PHDDCI also shared their perspective in promoting Film Tourism while having synergies between Production Houses, Film Commissions and State Tourism Boards.
Panel Discussion 1: ‘Filming in India: A world of opportunities’ was organized whichhad Mr. Uday Singh, India Representative, Motion Picture Associationas the Moderator and Mr. D. Venkatesan, Regional Director, India Tourism Mumbai; Mr. Vikramjit Roy, Head– Film Facilitation Office, National Film Development Corporation; and Ms. Rakasree Basu, Producer, Frames Per Second Films as the Panellists.
Panel Discussion 2: ‘Impact of Destination Marketing and Promotion through Films’ had Mr. Kulmeet Makkar,CEO, Producers Guild of India moderating the session. The panellists were Mr. Damian Irzyk, Consul General, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Mumbai;Mr. John Wilson, India Head, Czech Tourism; Mr. Mohit Batra, Country Head, Scandinavian Tourist Board; and Mr. Sanjiv Kishinchandani, Executive Producer, Rajkumar Hirani Films.
In parallel to the Panel Discussions, there was also an Exhibition Platform for destinations to showcase locations, tax incentives and other services.
Dr. Jatinder Singh, Director, PHDCCI, gave the formal concluding remarks. The Conclave was attended by over 150 delegates that included Production Houses, Ambassadors, Consul Generals, State and International Tourism Boards, Tour Operators, Hotels and Resorts among others.