International News
Sri Lanka taps Bollywood glitz to boost image
Posted on: Sat June 05, 2010
International Highlights
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is hoping to use the glitz of a Bollywood awards ceremony to emerge from the devastation of a quarter century war and re-build its image among global travellers as a serene, sun-bathed Indian Ocean island.
The tear drop-shaped island is hosting this year s International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, billed as India s Oscars, and pumping in money and resources for a host of Indian stars.
Sri Lanka has just emerged from a bloody war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, that killed over 100,000people and ravaged large parts in the country.
IIFA is a very good vehicle to help us re-build our image post-war, Dileep Mudadeniya, managing director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, told Reuters.
The three-day IIFA celebrations, which has fashion shows and a celebrity cricket match, ends on Saturday with the actual awards night.
Bollywood and its stars are recognised in this country as well as all over the world, and the kind of media exposure we will get during the event is unprecedented.
Courtesy : The News