Cinematic Tourism- The journey is the destination!

Film-induced tourism or movie-induced tourism, all begin with CINEMATIC TOURISM. Cinema- a word that bespeaks that regardless of the fact that India has a diversified culture. It still holds its integrity and rectitude single-handedly. Starting from Alam ara to Padmavat, cinema has a wide influence on the tourism sector. The 21st century is all set to take up neoteric challenges and, in this regard, it has already started venturing up with new ideas. Cinematic Tourism is one of those ideas that has changed the entire vision of tourism and cinema administration.

India is one of the leading countries in terms of film production. Thus, in order to make it appealing, directors and producers went onto choosing diversified landscapes and locations in the different States and Union Territories. Cinema has always played a major role in promoting national and international tourism. By narrating diversified Indian music, festival, cuisine, language, tourism, and landscapes. So, if you look into the deeper aspect of Cinema Tourism, then it is the biggest industry to influence the media. Along with the entertainment industry with its feature of covering up the unique and exclusive murals and an avant-garde sketch of India.

Now the question arises what does cinematic tourism is all about?

You must have seen movies like highway, jab we met, Yeh jawani hai deewani, Chennai Express, and Life of pie. Where do these movies take you? Of course, to the alluring, magnificent, and fascinating destinations of India. Everybody started digging about the place that is shot in the song ‘ye ishq haye’ from the movie jab we met. ‘Highway’ let us adrift in the lap of the beguiling habitat of Spiti Valley (Himachal Pradesh), Nurmahal (Punjab), Aru valley (J & K), and Ajmer (Rajasthan). As I am a true ‘Banarasi’ so how could I forget to mention ‘Ranjhana.’  The captivating ghats, the Ramnagar fort where Dhanush proposes to Sonam, and yes, the half-immersed shiv temple. The movie is a whole lot of a traversing to the city of temples i.e. Varanasi!

Some of the iconic movies mesmerizing locations:

Yash Chopra’s Veer Zaara not only tells us about what true love is. But it also makes us fall in love with the lush green fields of Punjab. These movies convey the effects that cinema can have on our travel decisions. Talking about the ’60s and 70’s era of Bollywood cinema, they have played a colossal effect on our traveling decisions. The paradise on earth i.e. Kashmir takes the romance between Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore in ‘Kashmir ki Kali’ to a more quixotic level. The song ‘Mere sapno ki rani kab ayegi tu’ was the trending symbol of impressing a girl in those eras. But what made this song was not only the charming personality of Rajesh Khanna.But also the sirenic beauty of Darjeeling.

The iconic movie ‘Sholay’ where Amzad Khan as in ‘Gabbar’ had frozen the entire village of Ramgadh by his terror. He was shot in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara, in the southern state of Karnataka. The notable movie of Dev Anand and Wahida Rehman ‘Guide’ was shot at Chittorgarh fort . In which Wahida Rehman as a Rosie celebrates her independence in the song ‘aj phir jine ki tamanna hai.’ The list doesn’t stop here. One of the biggest hits of 2018 i.e. ‘Padmavat’ went on beyond our imagination. Showcasing the entire Rajasthan with utmost beauty and dedication. Sanjay Leela Bhansali took his ‘Padmavat’ to a next level where no filmmaker can stunningly sculpt the Rajasthan with such devotion and adherence. All these movies, for ages, have played an essential impact on our traveling opinion.

Cinematic Tourism Impact on Hollywood:

Cinematic tourism has not only influenced Indian audiences. But it has made its impact on Hollywood cinema too. The whole world is going gaga over ‘Game of Thrones and the destinations used in that series. The medieval walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, Spain, Iceland, and Thingvellir National Park in Iceland, a UNESCO World Heritage site. All these places were shot in Game of Thrones and people went crazy over these bewitching destinations. Not only tv series, in fact, a lot of Hollywood movies, for instance, ‘Hobbit’, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, and ‘Lord of the Rings, shot at the beautiful locations of the world. New Zealand, Jamaica, Monaco, Jordan, and Austria, all these places are cherished by Hollywood directors.

Indian Media Entertainment- Cinematic Tourism

Now if we talk about Indian cinematic tourism then the authorized entity to take care of this department is Indian Media Entertainment- Cinematic Tourism. This accredited body is a division of ICSI i.e. International Chamber for Service Industry. This division helps in bridging the gap between the cinema industry and government authorities. It supports cinema and tourism to work together and promotion of film location tours. There is a vast scope of Cinematic tourism in the Indian context; It has a wide impact on the travel decisions of niche audiences and blazing the city lights. Not only does Indian cinematic tourism pageant the metropolitan lifestyle. But it also unwraps the rural life of India. It has unveiled the unexplored destinations of India that are more exquisite than any other destination in the whole world.

For instance, the beautiful scenic scenes shot in the song of ‘Behne de’ in ‘Raavan’ were the ‘Atjirapally waterfalls in Kerala’, the comic movie of Deppike and Sharukh i.e. ‘Chennai Express explored the hidden beauty of Kerala by unveiling the ‘Dudhsagar falls’. One of the most popular movies of its time was ‘Lagaan’ that is the true version of rural life and its consequences. The movie was shot in an ancient village near ‘Bhuj’, located in Gujrat’s Kutch district. The scope of cinematic tourism is clinching its hook on the promotion of heritage sites, adventure destinations & activities. Along with this detailing the heterogeneity of Indian culture.

Cinematic tourism Impact On Indian economy :

A lot has been contributed by cinematic tourism to our Indian economy. As well as it is one of the fastest-growing markets for the countries like Spain, the

U.K, Australia, Thailand, Dubai, and Singapore. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, a trust well-established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. India’s GDP is expected to boost US$ 275.2 billion by 2025. The records assembled by this department showcase that India ranked third. Among 184 countries in terms of travel and tourism’s total contribution to GDP in 2016. Cinematic Tourism has played an essential role in contributing a large amount in terms of foreign exchange. This can be seen with the fact that in January 2018, the Foreign Exchange Earnings of India were US$ 2.789 billion.

If we talk about what India has contributed to other countries in terms of tourism then we will get to know that for ages the Indian cinematic industry is contributing a lot to other countries. The showman of the Indian film industry, Raj Kapoor was the first Indian director to shoot a Bollywood film i.e. ‘Sangaam’ in a foreign domain like Paris, Venice, and Switzerland. One of the popular movies i.e. ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara’ popularized the La Tomatina festival of Spain between Indian travelers. SOTC.One of India’s leading tour operators initiated a seven-day Spain package for Indian travelers.

Also read: Bollywood has a special connection with Himachal Pradesh

In short Cinematic tourism is not just Cinema or Tourism. In fact, it is way beyond that, which boosts up the entire Indian economy by introducing unknown, unexplored, unimaginable, and unbelievable destinations of India as well as other countries too.