It was about 4-years back that the legendary filmmaker of Indian cinemas, Mr. Yash Chopra’s statue was unveiled in Kurssaal Garden in Interlaken, canton Bern, Switzerland. It was a tribute to his extraordinary contribution in terms of popularizing the Alpine nation among Indian visitors. A couple of years before that, when the director was still alive, in 2011, the government of Interlaken had awarded him the honorary title of “Ambassador of Interlaken”, and Jungfrau Railways named a train after him. Besides, the five-star Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken named a suite after the Bollywood filmmaker!
In the middle of the snow-clad Alps, grassy fields, and exotic flowers, Yash Chopra made romance blossom to the fullest; making Indians fall head over heels with Switzerland again and again. In the pristine Alpine panorama, he created magic, and Darr, Lamhe, Chandni, and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge (DDLJ) are beautiful testimonies of the signature style of the king of romance. Nevertheless, Bollywood has always remained enthralled with international locations, and one can easily remember the cinematic magic of films like Love in Tokyo (1966) directed by Pramod Chakravorty and An Evening in Paris (1967) directed by Shakti Samanta. These films were shot when outdoor locations were a rare sight in Hindi cinema.
In all these years, not only Indian cinemas started discovering different exotic destinations for shooting, but Indian tourists at the same time also developed an aptitude for travel. A country passionate about films, also getting crazier for travel. Even though in India, many travel shows and tv channels have caught the attention of travelers, keen on discovering new destinations but there are no dedicated tourism film festivals in the country.
Francisco Dias, Director of Art & Tur International Tourism Film Festival, the oldest tourism film festival of Portugal, feels that a tourism film festival can help in boosting up not only tourism but also help in developing an ecosystem benefiting all.
“Way back in 2007, it was difficult to make anyone understand and believe in the idea of a film festival around tourism, as it was no one’s focus area. Today, we have our festival being organized in various municipalities in Portugal and a dedicated audience comprising of filmmakers, producers, govt. officials, tourists enthusiastically participating every year.
There has been a tremendous change,” says Dias, who is also a Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria and Vice President of Centro Portugal Film Commission.
Tags: Tourism film festivals
