Trade Bytes

Vikram Productions wooing NRIs for Bollywood tourism

Andrea Lopez - Mumbai

Vikram Makandar

Vikram Productions, a company that has been active in organising themed weddings and events across various locations in India is now aggressively tapping Bollywood tourism. The company's chairman, Vikram Makandar, says "Bollywood has become an international brand and it has given tourism a new dimension. Since most Bollywood films are now being sub-titled in English, more foreigners are getting increasingly curious about the making of these films in India. We organise Bollywood tours for groups to studios, film locations, dubbing theatres and editing rooms, as well as popular film star residences in and outside Mumbai." The company has been active in this space for the past one year and claims to have registered an increase in the number of people opting for such tours.

Makandar adds, "The most popular season for these tours is between October and May and, on an average, we cater to groups of five to 20 people. Currently, we work through all the major tour operators who add one-day or half-day itineraries to their tour packages. Apart from the NRI market, we are also seeing interest from Europe, New Zealand and Australia." The company also plans to roll out similar tours in Andhra Pradesh and Chennai. "Although the NRI market to this region is small, we would like to tap it since there is an interest for films produced in south India," he says.

In addition, the company has been organising NRI weddings and sees a lot of potential in this segment. "The market for exotic themed weddings has been growing, even in the budget category."