Film Federation of India (FFI), the apex trade body of Indian film industry recently announced the launch of the first edition of India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC 2013). IIFTC 2013 is India’s first multicity film tourism initiative. This was the first time ever a film tourism event was held in cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The Conclave was inaugurated by Bollywood Director/Producer Subhash Ghai in the presence of Amit Khanna- Chairman, Reliance Entertainment and many other stalwarts of the industry.
IIFTC 2013 saw participation from countries such as Cyprus, Oman, Fiji, Egypt, Korea and Indian states such as Maharashtra (MTDC), Gujarat and New Delhi. IIFTC also had participation from various other line producers and entities related to film tourism.
Commenting on the conclave Bijay Khemka, President, Film Federation of India said, “The Silver Screen is recognized as the best medium to promote destinations by more and more tourism boards. Through IIFTC, we attempt to address the need for a neutral and credible forum that facilitates interaction and encourages development of film tourism”.
Core vision behind IIFTC 2013 is to create a national platform, which allows international and domestic tourism boards, film commissions and line producers to interact with the Indian film and television industry to promote their countries, locations and services catering to foreign shooting requirements.
According to Harshad Bhagwat, Director, IIFTC “ Our long term vision for IIFTC is that it becomes a bridge between the film and the tourism industry. We received tremendous response for the first edition of IIFTC, primarily due to our unique format of going to 3 hubs of the India entertainment industry. Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai together cater to over 90 per cent of film tourism demand and tourism boards are looking for a single umbrella platform that will reach out to the vast and diverse film industry in India.”
