Toronto beat out Las Vegas to become the first North American city to host the 12th annual Indian International Film Awards, which kicked off on Thursday, and now Melbourne is vying to be next. A delegation from Australia attended the opening of the three-day Bollywood extravaganza that is expected to attract some 40,000 tourists to Canada’s largest metropolis.
Officials said they would inject tens of millions of dollars into the local economy for hotel rooms, food, security, venues and other expenses. Also, Indian film crews reportedly shot scenes at the CN Tower, Toronto’s ritzy Yorkville shopping district and an indoor hockey rink that will be incorporated into the three-hour awards show.
“Beautiful people having fun in Toronto — that’s the money shot that will be seen all over India,” former Tourism Toronto executive director Duncan Ross, who spearheaded the city’s bid for the IIFA show back in 2006, told. Melbourne, he said, is hoping to play host to the IIFA in 2014 or sooner.