Outbound

Ireland Film Board woos Bollywood

Neeti Mehra - Mumbai

Following close on the heels of National Tourist Offices (NTOs) such as Korea and Italy, Tourism Ireland along with the Irish Film Board were recently in India to push their country as a destination for Bollywood filmmakers. On their agenda was to showcase Ireland as an ideal film locale coupled with offering a host of incentives and facilities for filmmakers. Tourism Ireland hopes to lure the leisure outbound segment of India by showcasing the island country's natural beauty, culture and heritage through Bollywood films.

Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Paul O' Toole, chief executive, Tourism Ireland, said, "This is a part of our strategy of getting the message across to potential holiday makers in India, as at the moment Ireland is largely an unknown destination in the Indian market." Jim Paul, director, new and developing markets, Tourism Ireland, added, "A country such as Switzerland, for instance, attracts over 75,000 Indians due to its aggressive cinematic promotion strategy." Hoping to capture a slice of the Indian outbound market, Ireland will be sending delegates to India to explain the benefits of shooting in Ireland and also the promise of state assistance to film makers. Mr. Naoise Barry, film commissioner, Irish Film Board, said, "This is our second since 2004, and in the intervening period there has been a three-fold increase in productions, with teams primarily from Chennai, and a few from Mumbai. Currently only song sequences are being shot there, but now we are aiming for full chunks of films to be shot in Ireland." According to Barry, the infrastructure available includes a skilled crew base, logistical support, minimal red tape, well-equipped studios and an experienced cast, along with a special tax scheme for film producers.

Excerpts of the speech by Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T.D., at the Irish Tourism and Film Promotion Event Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T.D It is a great pleasure for me to lead the biggest ever, Irish trade mission to India - and, indeed, the biggest ever, Irish trade mission to any overseas market. The government prepared a ten-year Asia Strategy aimed at strengthening our relations with Asia. India is a priority market in our Asia Strategy. India and Ireland have both been experiencing strong and sustained economic growth. Larger number of our people, have greater disposable income and, with that, comes a greater propensity to travel. The tourism minister John O'Donoghue and his Indian counterpart have signed an agreement on cultural co-operation between Ireland and India. I am confident that it will provide a strong impetus for partnership in this field in the future. I think it would be particularly appropriate to see increased collaboration between the Indian film industry and Ireland. We have much to offer to Indian filmmakers in terms of good locations, high quality technical facilities and flexible and competitive services. Tourism is a major economic sector in Ireland. Tourism Ireland, which promotes the island of Ireland as a premier tourist destination, is working hard here in Mumbai to encourage Indian tourists to think about Ireland as a holiday destination. The thousands of miles of shoreline keep the climate temperate, the air fresh, the land green and the coastal scenery spectacular. The result, for those who visit us, is a great sense of relief and refreshment.