Bollywood Tourism in Japan

This research note explores the current challenges and potential of Bollywood tourism to Japan. In doing so, it also assesses Bollywood tourism within the context of contents tourism and brings a non-western perspective to the study of film tourism research by shifting focus to Asia as a fertile area for studying Bollywood tourism. As past research has revealed, Bollywood is significant in the global cinematic context. However, studies concerning popular Hindi cinema’s role in influencing travel decisions, and consequently tourism flows, are still very fragmented, and they have not yet been undertaken from a contents tourism perspective. Theoretical connections between Bollywood tourism and contents tourism are discussed, with particular reference to Bollywood tourism to Japan and the unique song-narrative format of Bollywood cinema. Finally, the research note reflects on the current challenges facing Bollywood tourism to Japan and potential future directions.