| Mauritius: The perfect getaway for romance and mystery
5 Minutes to Tomorrow
Mauritius: The perfect getaway for romance and mystery
Mauritius has been chosen as a filming location for part of the shooting of the Chinese and Japanese coproduction movie ‘5 Minutes to Tomorrow’.
‘5 Minutes to Tomorrow’ is a mysterious love story between twin sisters (Lan and Mei) and their two lovers (Liang and Ziyou). Threading between Romance and mystery, this movie embark us on a journey from Shanghai to Mauritius. Getting on board a real an emotional trip in space and time, the movie reminds us of the legendary tragic lovers of Mauritius, ‘Paul et Virginie’.
Being directed by the renowned Japanese Director, Isao Yukisada, ‘5 Minutes to Tomorrow’ casts three of the most popular Asian film stars namely Cecilia Liu (China), Hsiao-Chuan Chang (Taiwan) and Miura Haruma (Japan). This marvelous movie is estimated to target about 180 million viewers and is already enrolled for the Cannes International Film Festival.
A press conference for the shooting in Mauritius was held at Le Touessrok in the presence of Minister Tourism and Leisure, Michael Sik Yuen, Director of MTPA, Karl Mootoosamy, Movie Director, Isao Yukisada and Chief Sales officer of Sun Resorts Ltd, Nicolas de Chalain prior to the shooting.
20 Chinese press attended the event including China Screen, South Daily, The Beijing News, Shanghai Morning Post, Sohu.com, China Movie, Aiqiyi, Youku, Sina internet, 163 internet, Southern Entertainmant Weekly, New Beijing Newspaper, Shanghai Morning Newspaper, QQ Entertainment, Southern City Newspaper, Phoenix internet and China Movie reports, among other Medias from China, Japan and Korea
The Minister Michael Sik Yuen seized this opportunity to show his gratitude to the production Team for choosing Mauritius as filming shooting. He added that it will not only showcase Mauritius and its products but also increase the visibility of the destination on the Chinese Market. This is the first Chinese movie in Mauritius and this would pave the way for other producers to come to Mauritius for their shooting.
According to the director of ‘5 Minutes to Tomorrow’, Isao Yukisada, he chose Mauritius as filming location based on the positive feedbacks that he heard and saw. He related that the part that will be done in Mauritius will be more interesting and exciting. With the launching of this movie, he is confident that Mauritius could attract more Chinese and Japanese visitors.
There is, indeed, a growing recognition of the importance of using film as a motivator for Tourism and Film Tourism has quite a proven track record. Popular movies which have proved to have enormous tourism gains are quite a few. "Lost in Thailand” for Thailand, “Harry Potter”for the UK, “Life of Pi” for India, “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy for New-Zealand, “Midnight in Paris” for Paris and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” in Sweden, among others.
The stakeholders of the Tourism Industry are more aware of the importance of using film as a motivator. Indeed, it acts as a platform to inspire the viewers to travel to the screened places in a view of experiencing what their heroes have experienced.
Moreover, the MTPA is renewing its efforts on the strategies adopted to promote Mauritius, especially on the Chinese market. With direct flights on Shanghai and Beijing, and more to come in 2014, more and more Chinese are visiting the Island in quest of adventure.
For the period January-October 2013, 34,286 Chinese visited Mauritius up 99 percent as compared to 17,233 for the same period in 2012. China is a fast growing market for the Mauritius Tourism Industry and 100,000 tourists are expected from China in the foreseeable future.
‘5 Minutes to Tomorrow’ is jointly supported and Sponsored by Shanghai Universal Joy Picture Co Ltd, Beijing Galloping Horse Film & TV Production, China Film Group, Media Vision, Toei Co Ltd, Shanghai Dawan Culture Communication Co Ltd, MTPA, Sun Resorts and Air Mauritius. |
