Bollywood all set to boost Leeds tourism
Bollywood is helping put the British city of Leeds on the map by holding the Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards there.
The award function is expected to attract 28,000 visitors, and will also be broadcast globally in 110 countries, reaching an estimated audience of 500 million.
Linda Pollard, board member for regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, said that the function will not only give tourism a boost in the county, but also open up new markets, as well as foster links between it and India.
“It will forge stronger business and cultural links between Yorkshire and India, which is one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” the BBC quoted her, as saying.
“Hosting an event of this scale will underpin the region’s credentials as a major player for international events, building on the success of Royal Ascot in York in 2005,” she added.
And, on hand to officially launch the 2007 Bollywood film awards, was none other than the Big B of Hindi cinema, Amitabh Bachchan himself.
Mr Bachchan said that the film community was looking forward to the award function.
“It is an event that we all look forward to, it gives an opportunity for the entire film fraternity to collect in one place over a certain period of time,” he said.
“It’s something that we can’t do even in Bombay when we are all living together, so it is an opportunity to meet each other and of course spend time in a new location every year,” he added.
The star-studded four-day affair will be held in June this year.
— ANI
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