No final decision on destination for 2019 yet: IIFA organisers

Nepal is only one among several destinations in the running to host the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) this year and a decision is yet to be taken, say the event's organisers.

For its 20th edition, IIFA organisers have considered several countries and picturesque destinations. While there have been stories coming from Nepal about the Himalayan nation being the chosen one, the IIFA management has confirmed it is only one of the destinations being considered, and no final decision has been taken so far.

"As a result of the positive achievements and results in previous destinations, countries bid for IIFA and we receive invitations to explore global cities for consideration every year. Nepal was just one of countries bidding for IIFA in 2019 and IIFA had not yet confirmed Nepal as the host for our 20th edition," Andre Timmins, Director - Wizcraft International, the producers and creators of the IIFA movement, said in a statement.

Timmins said that since "IIFA had not confirmed Nepal as the official host destination, we will be taking a legal stance on this matter".

Ever since its debut in 2000, the IIFA gala has been annually exhibiting the prowess of Bollywood, celebrating the magic of Hindi cinema on foreign shores. The event has been held at picturesque locales like Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Dubai, Colombo, Toronto, Spain, Singapore, Tampa Bay, Kuala Lumpur, New York and the 19th edition was held in Bangkok last year.

"Over the years, IIFA has established multiple tangible and intangible benefits along with tremendous positive impact for the host destinations including tourism increase, business and trade, short and long term economic impact, destination marketing and film shooting commitments to name a few," Timmins said.

( With inputs from IANS )