PANJIM, SEPT 18
Roping in Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador of the Gujarat tourism has made a huge difference, says the secretary of Gujarat tourism Vipul Mitra.
Mitra, along with Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Chairman Kamlesh Patel are in Goa as part of a Gujarat tourism road show.
Addressing the media during the road show, Mitra disclosed that tourism landscapes in which the State’s brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan has shot promotional videos, have transformed completely and tourists are making a beeline there.
“After Bachchan shot his ad film, promoting Gujarat tourism at the Gir sanctuary recently, a Taj group hotel which was closed for nearly nine years, decided to open up,” Mitra said, adding that the 'Amitabh' magic had ensured that the number of tourists visiting Gujarat had swelled by more than 30 per cent as compared to last year.
Bachchan had shot a series of advertisements to promote tourism in Gujarat with 'Khushboo Gujarat ki' (Fragrance of Gujarat) as the theme. The Big B's short, crisp ad films at the Gir sanctuary, Rann of Kutch, Somnath Temple and several other tourism sites in the backdrop imploring tourists to ‘come breathe in a bit of Gujarat’ are a huge hit according to Mitra.
“Amitabh Bachchan has made a huge difference. There is tremendous amount of interest generated in the places where he has shot the promotional videos,” Mitra said.
“Hotels in Somnath and Dwarka are also registering an increase in the number of tourists since the ads were aired,” Mitra said.
“It was not tough at all to rope him in. Our chief minister spoke to him and he agreed immediately,” he said adding “the State hopes to continue with the superstar for a longer period of time.”
Replying further queries, Mitra said that the State annually receives 1.65 crore tourists, which include 2 lakh foreign tourists.
When asked whether the Hindu-Muslim riots and the earthquake had any negative impact on tourism in Gujarat, he replied that these were the things of the past.
“Gujarat has come out well from these incidents,” Mitra stated.