Bollywood, thou art the best travel influencer!

It's become a pattern now. A big banner movie with good star cast shot in a beautiful destination is always followed by high tourist footfalls to that place.

Tourism boards, especially the international ones, have caught on to that and are looking at it as the basket where they can put all their eggs. Or at least most of them. Spain did that with 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' and once they saw tourist arrivals shoot up, they cut their budgets elsewhere.

But given that over 60 percent of Indians tend to get influenced by Bollywood, aspiring to travel to specific locations shown in the movies, it could translate to really huge numbers for destinations.

Tourism Australia did that in a small way with 'Shaadi Ke Side Effects' but i don't think they have been successful. An unnecessary song in an okay-type movie isn't enough. Still, it doesn't belie the fact that Bollywood is really the ultimate road to tourist footfalls. 

Lonely Planet's travel guide titled 'Filmi Escapes - Travel With The Movies' that was released some months ago sees India through the eyes of Indian filmmakers who have presented beautiful locations through their craft. 

The 344-page guide, priced at Rs 595, lists some must-see sights and experiences of over 20 domestic destinations like Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Varanasi, Shimla, Kasauli, Nainital, Amritsar, Kashmir, Ladakh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Mumbai, the Western Ghats, Goa, Gujarat, Kolkata, Darjeeling and Ooty.

It also includes interviews of film personalities such as Karan Johar, Mahesh Bhatt, Dibakar Banerjee, Nargis Fakhri, Muzaffar Ali and Raima Sen who share their favourite destinations and films. 

The guide co-incided with Bollywood celebrating 100 years. It also includes information on hotels, transport, food and sightseeing accompanied by interesting trivia, anecdotes and photographs. Movie buffs who like to travel may find it interesting.  

Kolkata chronicles

So as i was saying, one will see immense changes in this city. To start with of course, there's the new terminal at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Old-timers to the city will recall how shabby the old arrival terminal was. 

The new terminal at Dum Dum Airport

It looked swanky from where i saw it. But reports are that it is experiencing infrastructure-related problems including leakages and waste management. Read an Indian Express report on the same here.

The city is also experiencing a huge cultural shift in the way people behave. And by that, i mean spend. One Friday evening, my cousins and i decided to go out for dinner to the city's most popular restaurant - Bar-B-Q - across the street from Flurry's! 

I swear, this place is like the Times Square of Kolkata. You are bound to meet one of your long-lost siblings here on any given evening. 

An Apple store on Park Street

But what i saw was that South Kolkata had over time conceived hundreds of restaurants, eateries, cafes and lounges. And not just Bar-B-Q, but most joints in the area were buzzing. 

This consumer-oriented culture is relatively new to a city that was dominated by communism. The malls are populated, and what's more - there are so many more malls. 

On my way back to the airport to take the Indigo flight to Mumbai (which by the way was again late by 30-odd minutes!), my cousin decided to take me via Bypass and Rajarhat. I was amazed! 

Rajarhat

This is a new and developing area with IT companies, residential towers, malls, and Spencer's. I kid you not but it could pass off for Gurgaon or even our own Navi Mumbai! 

Having said that, i also tried to capture the Kolkata that i remember - with the old-world charm in a long-forgotten era. Read all about that in my next one. 

Meanwhile, for those whose curiosity i have piqued and are now planning to visit the city, here are some interesting sites to check out: Lonely Planet's guide and great deals from MakeMyTrip.