ETW STAFF – Mumbai
Till last year Mani Majra a small town within the union territory of Chandigarh, was known mainly for being a prosperous suburb. After the release of the international film ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, which was shot in Mani Majra, it has acquired the potential to attract international tourists keen to see where the film was shot. The film has received Five Oscar nominations.
The ministry of tourism has launched an effort to popularise the town and inform potential visitors about how to get there. The Incredible India website has not only embedded a YouTube video that shows the medieval Mani Majra Fort, but also shows glimpses of the town and shows the exact locations where the film was shot. The website also has a detailed map that shows how to reach Mani Majra by air, rail and road from Chandigarh as well as from the four major international airports of India.
This is part of the ministry’s efforts launched under the union minister of tourism K Chiranjeevi to promote every part of India that has any potential to attract international tourists. The ministry recently also launched a campaign to promote Puducherry and Munnar (Kerala) where the international film ‘Life of Pi’ was shot and also hosted a major tourism mart at Guwahati last month to promote North-Eastern India for international tourism.
The first success of the North-Eastern campaign has been the attention received in 14 international media outlets (print and electronic) by the hitherto little-known Pobitora Rhinoceros sanctuary near Guwahati.
