Post by Klingoncelt on Sept 21, 2010 17:59:38 GMT -5
Ad film on Kerala tourism to be premiered tomorrow in UK
H S Rao
London, Sept 20 (PTI)
A host of celebrities from the soccer field to cinema and music are to line up for the world premiere of a new ad film on Kerala tourism here tomorrow (21 September) to promote ''God''s Own country'' as one of the top tourist destinations in the world.
Renowned actor Mohanlal, musician Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Pandit Ravi Shankar, Sitar Maestro, Chelsea striker and Ivory coast national captain Didier Drogba will lead the pack of stars, including former England sensation Gary Linekar and Arsenal striker Theo Walcott.
There will also be Tottenham Hotspur''s leading player Jermaine Defoe. From the cricket field, there will be England player Kevin Pieterson.
From the world of cinema, endorsing Kerala as a top tourist destination will be ''Love Actually'' star Bill Nighy.
India''s Dev Patel of ''Slumdog Millionaire'' fame will also walk the red carpet at the Saatchi Gallery.
From Oasis member Liam Gallagher and Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon are among the other celebrities participating in the event, which is a first for a tourism board in India.
The ad film ''Your Moment is waiting'' is directed by Prakash Varma, the Vodaphone ZooZoo ad fame and conceived by Kerala Tourism''s brand agency Stark Communications Ltd.
Kerala Tourism Secretary, Dr V Venu said: "The campaign was unlike any other tourism campaign before. The film is cinematic in style, is sophisticated and highly emotive. It is not the traditional slide-show of pretty pictures of places and people. The campaign will clearly help Kerala to outperform many of its competitors in a very tough global marketplace."
Dr Venu said: "We are reaching out to our global target audience of experience seekers. We know that the film will resonate and influence how they think about Kerala as a holiday destination."
He said, "Besides being our main source market, Kerala attracts a lot of repeat travellers from the UK, and we felt that it would make great sense to reach out to this loyal and growing market, by premiering the film in London." Director Varma said he was thrilled when he was asked to work on the project.
"Kerala Tourism is a superbrand in India and it is continually reinventing itself with innovative ideas and ambitious projects. With this global launch in London, it has once again elevated the bar by being the first destination board to launch its campaign offshore," he said.
The UK is the largest market for Kerala Tourism and the state''s nature-based experiences are a huge draw for British travellers seeking more intimate, village experiences.
Tourists who are interested in their health are also attracted to ayurveda in Kerala.
Your Moment is waiting" will hit Youtube in the UK, France and Germany target nearly 50 million viewers. The campaign will run in cinemas across the UK where the movie ''Eat, Pray and Love'' is being shown and in CNN, Europe targeting viewers in the key source markets of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.
