I Hate Luv Storys, starring Bollywood heart-throbs Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor, is about a couple coming to film a Bollywood love story in Queenstown and getting caught up in their own love story at the same time.
Tourism New Zealand regional manager India and Southeast Asia Kiran Nambiar played a leading role in attracting the film-makers to New Zealand. He also spent time with the crew during filming in Queenstown to help make sure things went smoothly.
The film will show New Zealand as a visitor destination to an expected audience of 150 million.
During filming in Queenstown, Tourism New Zealand hosted Indian media to take advantage of the presence of the cast and crew to gain added exposure for New Zealand, while fashion magazine L'Officiel featured an 18-page photo shoot on Kapoor.
The magazine, which has a circulation of over 65,000, incorporated several tourism products and also mentioned the Tourism New Zealand website address. On Twitter, Kapoor said it was her "best shoot to date".
Between filming, Khan did a sky dive in Queenstown and coverage appeared in the Bombay Times, which has a circulation of about 750,000.
Tourism New Zealand is also using paid advertising in India to increase New Zealand's profile after the film's premiere. Cinema screens have been booked for one week to play the tourism body's 60-second 100% Pure New Zealand television commercial during intermissions.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said: "The potential of this movie for increased visitor arrivals from the Indian market is significant. India is a growing tourism market and I Hate Luv Storys has been an exciting way to show New Zealand to our target audience."
Annually, about 26,000 Indian visitors come to New Zealand, and total arrivals have steadily increased in the past three years.
