In a country gripped by a massive Bollywood craze, what better way to attract the 7.5 million Indians who travel to overseas destinations each year, than to get the Bollywood itself to use these destinations in their films. Rest assured, this is the best way of ensuring the widest exposure and generate curiosity among Indians.



That is exactly what Singapore Tourism board has attempted, when it made a deal with Rakesh Roshan's Filmkraft Production for its latest film Krrish, the sequel to the Bollywood mega blockbuster- Koi Mil Gaya.

Over the years, Bollywood has interwoven a lot of exotic locales in the films. Every year, more than 20 Indian films are shot in Switzerland, a trend started by Yash Chopra with his penchant for extravagance. These locales not only captured the imagination of Indian audiences, but also led to increase in the number of outbound tourists to these destinations.

Soon after the release of Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Na Pyar Hai, shot extensively in New Zealand, the number of Indian tourists visiting New Zealand swelled by almost four times.

Surely the lure of Krrish and Singapore combined would be difficult to beat!

Marking a first of sorts for any affiliation between an International Tourism board and the Bollywood industry, Singapore has made its first overture for actively promoting the country's tourism through Indian films.

The tourism board is all set to invest upto $10 million in Bollywood productions over the next three years, with the objective of developing and promoting Singapore, not just to the resident Indians but to the ever increasing number of non-resident Indians who visit the country regularly.

The fund would not only provide logistics and ground support, but more importantly also assist the film unit in getting the necessary approvals, including to block roads and traffic, from respective government agencies.

Geared up to reap the rewards, by riding on the hype created by the blockbuster release of Krrish, Singapore Tourism board has gone one step ahead and launched a series of ?Singapore Krrish tours? which are basically packaged tours targeted to lure the Bollywood and especially Hrithik's fans to Singapore.

The tour traces the movie trail and across the places where the film was shot including the Singapore zoo and river, the Lau Pa Sat festival market, Sentosa Island, the Wild Wild Wet water park, Suntec City mall and the Esplanade art district.

Tempting the visitors with interesting trivia about the movie and its making, the Singapore Tourism Board is attempting to provide audiences a first-hand opportunity to relive the Krrish experience in the beautiful island city of Singapore.

Targeting the increasing number of outbound tourists from India, the International Tourism Boards are now tempting travellers not just to see famous landmarks or to go shopping but to visit the locations of popular movies, to experience these settings and hear the numerous stories during the making.

And with a plethora of international Tourism Boards now wooing the Indian film industry, expect a lot of packages in the future, aimed at generating increased revenue for these destinations by cashing-in on this Bollywood craze of the Indians!