A symposium on film Tourism was organized at Taj Lands End, Mumbai on November 8, 2021, by the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, for exploring opportunities present in various states for shooting films.
An award for the “Most Film Tourism Friendly State” under the National Tourism Award is given every year to recognize states encouraging film tourism, said Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism.
He said that the state governments can establish a film promotion office at the Chief Minister’s Office to coordinate and process approvals on time. The office should have the authority to intervene and sort out issues whenever necessary.
Shri Chandra, Secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) said that 14 states have devised a film facilitation policy based on which the government plans to make a draft Model Film Policy for other states to adopt.
While 18 states are offering incentives, the need of the hour is the ease of clearances and ease of shooting.
Many filmmakers shoot abroad despite higher costs as getting approvals is easier. The state governments need to understand what the film industry wants and play a bigger role in easing the filming process.
