Pattaya, July 02, 2012 -The International Bangla Film Academy (IBFA), a Kolkata-based association set up to promote India’s Bengali-language movies, is to hold its first awards ceremony near the well-known Thai beach resort of Pattaya between 30 June and 2 July.

This is the first time that an Indian film awards ceremony is being held in Chon Buri. To be televised live by the main media partner Kolkata TV, the event will go a long way towards putting the resort firmly on the map for tourists from the Indian state of West Bengal, of which Kolkata is the capital.

As the main sponsor, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects the ceremony will draw attention to both Chon Buri Province and Thailand as a good shooting location for Bengali films. The awards ceremony, which will recognise outstanding achievement in Bengali cinema, is expected to attract up to 400 personalities from the Indian film industry.  Altogether 16 types of Merit Awards will be presented in this debut event.

The awards ceremony will be held at the Alangkarn Theatre near Pattaya and will include spectacular dance performances and entertainment featuring both Thai and Indian stars.  Well-known Bengali film director Gautam Ghose is an advisor and mentor in an honorary capacity and actress Rituparna Sengupta is the face of the event.

Said TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, “Given the tremendous growth potential of the Indian market, the TAT welcomes the opportunity to showcase Thailand during the International Bangla Film Academy’s first awards ceremony.  We are very happy that many Indian filmmakers from Bollywood, just like US filmmakers from Hollywood, are finding Thailand a good place to shoot movies and TV series. It is one of the main reasons why Thailand is growing in popularity among Indian travellers.

“Thanks to its unique combination of spectacular locations, professional expertise and low costs, Thailand is rapidly becoming one of Asia’s most popular destinations for shooting films, documentaries and commercials. The TAT and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports are happy to work with all international film-making teams to help them get what they need in order to finish shooting on time and within budget,” he said.

The large Bengali film industry regularly produces motion pictures that enjoy critical acclaim and financial success. Many Bengali productions have been filmed in Thailand.  Based in Kolkata, the IBFA is part of Jet Setters Ltd, a travel agency which seeks to promote and recognise feature and television works of West Bengal.

The last time that Thailand hosted an Indian film awards ceremony was in June 2008 when the International India Film Academy (IIFA) Awards was held at Siam Niramit in Bangkok. That event, which featured the presence of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, generated massive exposure for Thailand in the Indian market.

According to the Thailand Film Office, in 2011, Thailand received 606 applications for foreign productions including 35 feature films, 296 advertisements, 155 documentaries, 86 TV series and 34 music videos. The estimated income from the shoots was 1,226 million baht.  European countries led the way with 119 applications, followed by Japan with 113 and India in third place with 107 applications.

Kolkata, India’s third-largest city after Mumbai and New Delhi, is closest to Bangkok with a flying time of just over two hours, making it a promising source market for visitors to Thailand.  Currently, there are 21 direct flights per week linking Kolkata and Bangkok, comprised of a daily flight each by Jet Airways, Thai Airways International and AirAsia.

In 2011, Thailand received 916,787 Indian visitors, up 20.57% over 2010. The number is expected to cross the one-million mark in 2012. In January-May 2012, Indian visitors arrival totalled 405,719, up 6.81% over the same period of 2011.