'Land of Pi' campaign to promote Munnar, Puducherry as tourist destinations

Jan 11, 2013 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Cinema tourism, a growing segment in the country, received a shot in the arm in the capital Friday with union Tourism minister K. Chiranjeevi announcing a "Land of Pi" campaign in India inspired by the movie.

The campaign, to be launched across all media, including print, online, electronic and outdoor, will promote Puducherry and Munnar as prime destinations, the tourism ministry said Friday.

The multi-lingual campaign in English, French, German, Chinese, Spanish and Japanese will aim at drawing inbound tourists from Asia and Europe to Munnar and Puducherry. The highlights of the campaign will include "Land of Pi" posters produced by the tourism

ministry that will be displayed through India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) offices overseas.

These would also be posted on the "Incredible India" website and those of Puducherry and Kerala Tourism.

The campaign will include deployment of luxury buses between Chennai, Puducherry and Kochi and Munnar. They will be branded with "Land of Pi" creatives like special "Land of Pi" tours and walking trails at the two destinations.

Maps depicting the tours were ready, the tourism minister said.

"Short films and virals on the tourist attractions in Puducherry and Munnar have been uploaded on YouTube and other social media networks," the minister added.

The campaign will host "Land of Pi" contests online with two prizes every month. The prizes would include holiday packages to Puducherry or Munnar, including air tickets and local hospitality.

The tourism minister said a "Land of Pi" boat with a stuffed toy tiger will be permanently placed at two prominent locations in Puducherry to provide a photo opportunity to visiting tourists.

One location will be a child-safe shallow water pool near Puducherry's Paradise Island and the other the soon-to-be-inaugurated Puducherry airport. Accessories like t-shirts and caps branding the two "Lands of Pi" will be distributed among tourists, besides the creation of online video games around the movie.

The ministry will also organise roadshows to promote tourism in China and Taiwan, where "Life of Pi" has been well received.

The movie, "Life of Pi" has been partly shot in the beautiful locales of Puducherry and Munnar. To enable viewers of the film to visit the two regions, Chiranjeevi met the secretaries of the tourism departments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala along with local tour operators after it was observed that the film had highlighted awareness of the two regions.

Chiranjeevi has announced special national tourism awards for director Ang Lee and Yann Martel, author of "Life of Pi", for promoting India through the film.

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Life Of Pi