Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of Jammu and Kashmir stressed on the  importance of using south Indian film makers to promote J-K's natural beauty to boost tourism in the region,which has been overlooked so far.

Abdullah talking about promotion of tourism in J & K  through South Indian Cinema said, 'The places we should be focusing on where the money is there, the budgets are big are actually the south Indian film industry. That, for reasons of arrogance or ignorance, we have consciously ignored up until now. So they are the ones with movie budgets of Rs 300-400 crore.'

The chief minister highlighted  on the historical connection with Bollywood which has played an important role in popularizing the Kashmir valley as a  favourite honeymoon destination for generations of Indians.

He further stated  that the strategy to boost tourism to south Indian films will serve a dual purpose as it would not only display the scenic beauty of the region in south Indian films, but will also promote Kashmir as an attractive travel destination for the south Indian travellers, who had not traditionally viewed the valley as a vacation spot.

Abdullah mentioned the possibilities of marketing Jammu and Kashmir as a prime filming location for films and video albums.He also highlighted on the destination wedding market, as a major commercial business opportunity to showcase the unparalleled beauty of Jammu and Kashmir to a wider audience.

The chief minister said a proposal had been made for opening some new destinations in Kashmir. “We have actually put together a proposal and are trying to see if we can get multilateral agency funding.”