Mumbai International Festival To Have Revenue Impact Of Up To Rs 10,000 Crore, Say Organisers
The nine-day event will be held from Jan. 20-28, 2024.
The first Mumbai International Festival scheduled from Jan. 20–28 is expected to have a revenue impact of Rs 7,000–10,000 crore, according to the organisers.
That includes revenue as well as savings for the tourism board and other sectors such as hospitality and airlines, as they will achieve the desired result without having to spend that much on promotions, Sabbas Joseph, founder of Wizcraft Group, manager of the Mumbai International Festival, told BQ Prime.
The nine-day mega event plans to showcase Maharashtra culture, music, food and cuisine alongside existing events like the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, the Tata Mumbai Marathon, Happy Streets, and Yoga By The Bay.
It is not just about fun and tourism but also showcases the city to the world and makes it vibrant economically, according to Anand Mahindra, chairperson of the Mumbai International Festival Foundation and chairman of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group. The festival strengthens the economic underpinnings of the city, he said.
Girish Mahajan, Minister of Tourism, Govt of Maharashtra, and Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mumbai International Festival Foundation at the launch of logo and theme song of Mumbai Inernational Festival.
Source: BQ Prime/ Vikas Srivastava
"This time we are using the bear-hug model that does not believe in creating new events but rather embraces the existing events already created by stalwarts like the Kalaghoda Festival," Mahindra said at the logo and theme song launch of the festival on Thursday.
The festival will be held across more than 50 venues in Mumbai, with over 50 events. There will be more than 5,000 performers, and at least one Guinness World Record is expected from the event, according to Sabbas Joseph, founder of Wizcraft Entertainment Agency Pvt., manager of the Mumbai International Festival.
A lot happens in Mumbai in terms of tourism, but it doesn't get captured like in South India or Rajasthan, Joseph told BQ Prime. "Through this event, we will capture not just the externals but even the internals of not just Mumbai but of Maharashtra... Through tour packages, we plan to take the tourists to the remote areas of the state that will present the real face of Maharashtrian culture."
Some of the major events planned during the nine-day extravaganza include the Mumbai Expo, music festival, beach festival, tourism conclave, shopping festival, Mumbai walks and fam trips for influencers.
