Says awards will enhance Nepal’s destination image
KATHMANDU, July 1: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has made it clear that no agreement has been reached yet on the fee to be paid to the organizers of Indian International Film Awards (IIFA).
Speaking at a press meet in Kathmandu on Sunday, Deepak Raj Joshi, the CEO of NTB, denied that the government was paying organizers of the IIFA nearly Rs 1 billion to host the awards show. He said that the 20th IIFA Awards will be hosted jointly by the NTB, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and the private sector. “A 17-member committee comprising of representatives from NTB, KMC, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), among others, have been formed. Negotiations with organizers on fee and other facilities are ongoing,” he added. “We will have to arrange airfare, accommodation and transport as well as security for the participants. But nothing has been agreed on the cash part.”
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Joshi also said that hotels have pledged to provide rooms at subsidized rates.
IIFA Awards, which was first organized in 2000, has been hosted in cities like London, Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok, Colombo and Macau. It is hosted by either the tourism department of the host country, or the metropolis or the country itself, according to Joshi.
“As Nepal is preparing to organize Visit Nepal Year 2020, successful hosting of IIFA Awards will help to promote Neal as a destination for MICE tourism and enhance destination image of Nepal,” added Joshi.
He further added that Nepal’s promotional activities have been insufficient even in neighboring India. “Many Indians still do not have any information about Nepal. They does not know where Nepal is. Through this mega event, we want to exploit the potentials that the Indian tourism market and the Indian diaspora offer,” Joshi added.
Stating that IIFA is not mere award show but an immensely popular platform which has viewership of nearly 700 million, Joshi said: “The reason we have chosen cinema for city branding and nation branding is because Bollywood has a strong influence in attracting Indian diaspora to Nepal. IIFA will be branded as ‘IIFA Nepal’ which is going to create strong brand identity for Nepal,” Joshi added.
