The ongoing three-day G20 Tourism Working Group meeting is likely to promote Kashmir on the film tourism map of the world as representatives of six participating countries will discuss its global perspective and economic benefits during the mega event.
Spain, Singapore, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa and Brazil are the six countries to discuss the global perspective of film tourism during a side event on ‘Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation’ which is part of the mega event organised in Srinagar from May 22-24.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has already identified around 300 unexplored destinations for film shootings due to which the UT is set to become a prime destination for the film industry. With the revival of film tourism in the UT, the government aims to attract production houses and filmmakers to shoot their movies, web series, and serials in J&K.
In the last one year, more than 200 films, web series, and serials were shot in J&K, which is a great sign of revival of film tourism in Kashmir.
Unveiling the draft of a national strategy for film tourism is the key agenda of the G20 meeting in Srinagar with the speakers scheduled to highlight various challenges and country-specific enablers to promote destinations through films giving a fillip to tourism in J&K.
A senior government officer said that a side event on ‘Film Tourism for Economic Growth and Cultural Preservation’ will be organised on May 22 and 23, focusing on strategies to promote film tourism in J&K.
“A draft National Strategy on Film Tourism will be unveiled to provide a roadmap for harnessing the role of films in promoting tourist destinations,” he said.
The J&K government has already ensured a proper system in place to facilitate shooting of films with the permission and regulatory requirements done through a one-stop centre. The government has also developed an online portal to facilitate the production houses for their shooting in J&K.
After the successful conclusion of the G-20 meet, it is expected that foreign crews will also arrive in Kashmir for film shootings.