Innovation has become crucial in a world where change is continual due to the digital revolution. This applies to cities as well as the corporate world. In this day and age, when the Internet of Things is driving a new wave of experimentation, urban innovation is more important than ever.
Film Tourism
A specialised or niche kind of tourism called “film tourism” allows travellers to visit places that have gained popularity as a result of their inclusion in movies and television shows. The phrase also refers to visits to film or television-related theme parks as well as production studio tours.
Film tourism refers to tourism activities that arise after or when people visit the locations depicted on screens as a result of the visuals or narratives they witness in films and television shows.
The fact that they provide more opportunities for making money also has an impact on tourism. For instance, locations associated with specific films are more prevalent and include gift shops and paid photo sites. Additionally, some businesses provide tailored guided tours of the locations used for filming in particular towns.
Areas are able to project a joyful and positive image by marketing themselves as film locations. Free advertising for them is provided by the movie, and as more and more people see the film(s), the impact will only grow.
Kochi – the new film tourism destination
Kochi is replete with a myriad of fun activities for every age-group. It is the one-stop destination for all and more. You can also book a destination wedding and tie the knots in a mesmerizingly beautiful setting. You can also organise corporate events, meetings or small business rendezvous. The innovative film city is an adventure that you’ll remember all your life.
The First step
Kochi corporation is waiting to acquire around five acres of land and the city has the opportunity to enhance its status as the hub of Malayalam film industry. Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian put forth a proposal to build a film city in Kochi during the opening ceremony of the Regional International Film Festival of Kerala (RIFFK) this year.
Mayor M Anilkumar’s suggestion was to revive the Kokers theatre, which is one of the oldest cinema halls in Kochi and a major landmark of west Kochi. As per the proposed plan, the film city will house cinemas and have facilities required for shooting films.
And in the long run…
The rise of foreign travel, the exponential growth of the entertainment industry, and cult-like celebrity status are the result of this growing popularity of film tourism. For destinations, films provide income from long-term tourism. The presence of a specific area in a film or television can have an immense impact on the number of tourists to an established city, producing a new form of tourism in the region and generating a boost to the local economy.
Though this has been on for decades, it is only in the last few years that the concept has been formalised and destinations have starting working with large production houses to ensure they are featured in the big projects and often offer fiscal incentives to be featured in films.
It also encourages governments and citizens to work to protect the location, especially environmentally but also in terms of infrastructure. This is not only good for the visiting tourists, of course, but for the locals too!
