'Life of Pi' inspires govt tourism campaign

Hoping to cash in on the worldwide popularity of Life of Pi, which has been shot in India, government today decided to launch a full-fledged campaign based on the Oscar nominated film to woo tourists.

Land of Pi campaign would be launched soon across all media, including print, online, electronic and outdoor, to promote Puducherry and Munnar as tourist destinations in the country, Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi said here.

The Ministry has already announced special National Tourism Awards for Ang Lee, Director, and Yann Martel, author of the book Life of Pi, for promoting India through the film.

Recognising the importance of cinema as a powerful tool for development and promotion of various tourist destinations, ministry has undertaken several initiatives for promoting film tourism through films shot in India.

The widely acclaimed film Life of Pi has been partly shot in the beautiful locales of Puducherry and Munnar in Kerala.

As per the campiagn plan, Land of Pi posters produced by Tourism Ministry will be displayed worldwide through India tourism offices overseas. These would also be put on the Incredible India website and the websites of the Puducherry and Kerala Tourism Departments.

The Ministry will organise road shows to promote Indian destinations in China and Taiwan, where the film has been very well received. Director Lee is of Taiwanese origin.

T-shirts and caps branding the two destinations of Pi will also distributed as per the massive campaign.

Chiranjeevi had held a meeting last month with Secretaries of Tourism of Puducherry and Kerala along with tour operators of the region, immediately after it was observed that the film had highlighted awareness of the two regions.

Besides, luxury buses plying between Chennai and Puducherry and Kochi and Munnar will be branded with Land of Pi creatives.

He said special Land of Pi tours and walking trails will be organised for tourists visiting Puducherry and Munnar.

Short films on the tourist attractions in Puducherry and Munnar which have been depicted in the film have been created and being put on Youtube and other social media networks.

The Minister said the campaign will be undertaken in English as well as in French, German, Chinese, Spanish and Japanese languages.