Yorkshire: Back in June, it was announced that Bradford, in Yorkshire, England will play host to the IIFA - the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) Weekend 2007, commonly called Indian Cinema's equivalent of the Oscars outside India.

The announcement was made during this year's star-studded event in Dubai.

Zulfi Karim, Yorkshire Tourist Board director and bid leader said at the time of the annoucement: "The size of this event is staggering. Although it's called the IIFA Weekend it actually takes place over four days and the latest figures predict that 2007 will attract 28,000 people who will take up 12,000 bedrooms for four days and spend around £9.5million during their visit. And that's not all. The whole event will be covered by the world's media creating a really positive profile for Yorkshire within the international Indian public. That's Yorkshire right in the laps of 400,000 outbound travellers who spend an average US$1.5 billion on travel every year (£800million)."

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Yorkshire Forward commented, "The IIIFA awards will give Yorkshire and Humber the chance to introduce its world-class tourist, cultural and film locations, plus business and creative industries to a new international audience of more than 315 million. It will bring an immediate £9.5m million boost to the economy and increase the opportunity for businesses in the region to win contracts with the largest film academy and second largest growing economy in the world."

For four days in June 2007 Yorkshire will be home to the brightest stars in Indian Cinema, most of who have more fans across the globe than your average A-list Hollywood star. The 'weekend' will kick off with the biggest names in Hindi Cinema taking to the red carpet in front of the global media for the world premiere of Hindi Cinema's biggest epic so far for the year.

On the second day, it will come as no surprise with as much as South East Asia loves cricket that the stars will exchange scripts and sets for bat and stumps in a charity cricket match versus professional sportsmen. Headingley Cricket Ground is likely to host the event.

The spectacular IIFA ceremony itself will take place on the third day with stars, guests and VIPs gathering for the daylong ceremony alongside a paying audience of over 12,000 fans.

The fourth and final day will see those involved in the actual making of the films (location advisors, producers and crews) touring the region in search of locations for future potential blockbusters. With an audience of over 1 billion within India alone and well over 20 million across 58 other countries worldwide, a whole new market could open up for Yorkshire as a 'must see location' for committed fans of Indian cinema ready to visit the places where their favourite films were shot.

In preperation for the IIFA next year, film icon and IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan is visiting Bradford to welcome the ceremony to the Yorkshire region.

Amitabh was at the National Museum of Photography Film and Television on Thursday to celebrate the arrival of the event in June 2007.

An official announcement about the IIFA in Bradford will be made Friday in the House of Commons in the British Parliament.

Superstar Bachchan will address dignitaries, including Secretary of State, Tessa Jowell, leader of the house Jack Straw, and High Commissioner of India to the UK Kamlesh Sharma to celebrate the return of the IIFA weekend to the UK. The inaugural awards in 2000 took place at London's Millennium Dome.

The House of Commons launch event will be followed by a five-city launch the next day in the company of the mayors of York, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford, who will flag off the announcement along with Amitabh Bachchan.

The five-city launch will be held at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (NMPFT), Bradford.

Last year's International Indian Film Academy Awards attracted a global audience of around 480 million people. The Yorkshire region beat competition from New York, Barcelona and Hong Kong earlier this year in its bid to host the 2007 event.

As the leading location for investment in Europe, dignitaries will speak about the economic benefits for both National and regional business partnerships with India.

Sanjeev Aga, president of Birla Nuevo, one of India's leading investors in Britain is one of the key members of the Indian delegation. Judith Donovan, chairperson for the Yorkshire Tourism Board and Tom Riordan from Yorkshire forward will announce details of IIFA weekend and the anticipated impact for Yorkshire business and tourism, a press release issued on Tuesday said.

Bachchan, who was voted BBC's superstar of the millennium in 2000 pushing aside Hollywood's biggest stars and heartthrobs, will focus on the rising popularity of Indian cinema as a major global business, keeping in mind an estimated global audience for the IIFA awards in 2007 of over 480 million.

IIFA director Andre Timmins said: "The International Indian Film Academy brings an experience that has a reach bearing no boundaries and brings together people regardless of race, culture, or religion.

"It aims to diminish the divide in today's world creating everyone's dream: 'One People, One World'.

"IIFA looks to open minds and act as a catalyst to create opportunities that build bridges across cinemas, communities, businesses and nations."

Organisers believe it will provide a huge boost to the region's economy.

Now in its eighth year, the IIFA weekend has previously visited Amsterdam, Dubai, Singapore, London, Malaysia and South Africa. As a direct consequence of the IIFA celebrations, tourism and business investment to each of these destinations has increased tremendously, making a major impact.

Previous IIFA weekend events have hosted some of the world's major celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Shekhar Kapur, Ashok Amritraj, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bo Derek and others.