A Report

on

Incredible ndia
A Marketing Perspective
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the course in

Customer Acquisition and Retention

On 05 October 2009
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. The Indian Story………………………………………………………………………5
2. Pre-2002………………………………………………………………………………….6
3. Impact of 09/11………………………………………………………………………9
4. The Incredible !ndia Marketing Story…………………………………….10
4.1 Why Incredible !ndia?.………………………………………………….11
4.2 “Incredible !ndia”- How the campaign gathered
steam……………………………………………………………………………12
4.2.1 The Initiation-Testing the Waters…………………………12

4.2.2 The Turning Point…………………………………………………14

4.2.2.1 ITB, Berlin……………………………………………….14
4.2.2.2 India Now……………………………………………….16
4.2.2.3 Cannes Film Festival………………………………..16
4.2.2.4 India @ 60, NY 2007……………………………….16
4.2.2.5 The Colors of India………………………………….17
4.2.2.6 Motherland India……………………………………17
4.2.2.7 Atithi Devo Bhavah…………………………………18
4.3 The Marketing Strategy – Key Highlights………..…………….21
4.3.1 Establishment of Brand India……………………………….21
4.3.2 Use of ! symbol……………………………………………………21

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 4.3.3 Rewards and Recognitions…………………………………..22
4.3.4 Value Proposition………………………………………………..23
4.3.5 Positioning…………………………………………………………..24
4.4 Focus on 2009………………………………………………………………25
4.4.1 Focus India…………………………………………………………..25
4.4.2 Rural Tourism………………………………………………………26
4.4.3 Awareness Abroad……………………………………………….27
4.4.4 Print campaign…………………………………………………….28
4.4.5 Social Media…………………………………………………………29
4.4.6 Resolute India campaign………………………………………29
4.4.7 Tie-up with Oscar and Grammy Awards……………….29
4.4.8 Tie-up with Global channels…………………………………30
4.4.9 Visit India 2009…………………………………………………….30
5. Challenges for Tourism in 2009……………………………………………..31
6. The Road Ahead…………………………………………………………………….32
7. Areas of Improvement…………………………………………………………..36
8. Survey Analysis……………………………………………………………………..38
9. Recommendations and Analysis……………………………………………49
10. References…………………………………………………………………………….58

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1. The Indian Story
India is a multi-faceted nation. Home to the largest diversity in Culture & Tradition, it
can trace its civilization back to over 10,000 years. It has timeless pre-historic relics,
caves, paintings and artifacts. It is home to some of the erstwhile great Empires who’s
Monuments, Palaces and Legacies continue to live on. India is home to some of the
World’s best Ancient Architectural wonders inspired by Hindu, Persian, Buddhist,
European & other Architectural styles.

India’s Cultural & Social diversity is unmatched. With over Ten Millennia of civilization,
India has grown to be the genesis of varied Cultures, Languages, Traditions, Beliefs and
Rituals. With relative isolation of various Societies, these have grown to leave an
indelible mark on its followers.
Four major religions of the World have their origins in India: Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism and Sikhism. This had led to India becoming the home to many Pilgrimage sites.
India is also the home of various Spiritual practices like Meditation and Yoga. India is
also home to the tradition system of Naturopathy medicine: Ayurveda.

India is rich in Bio-Diversity, with varied Flora & Fauna, many of which are native to India
and are found only here. There are many Wild Life Sanctuaries, Botanical Gardens,
Nature Reserves and Protected Ecology Zones. India also has varied Geographical
features like Mountains, Plains, Forests, Tropic, Hilly Terrain, Marshes, Archipelago,
Rivers, River Rapids, Inland Lakes, Beaches, Ocean, Bays, Seas et al.

Lately, India has been making rapid Economic Progress. This has led to enormous strides
in Infrastructure, Private Health Care, Education, Research & Development, Information
Technology, Tourism, Urban & Rural Development and other fields. With its new found
confidence, India aims at leveraging its enormous potential and aims at becoming the
Beacon in Asia.

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2. Pre-2002
The Ninth 5 year plan came up with following proposals in order to boost tourism in
India.
Development of basic infrastructure
Development of trekking, winter sports, wildlife and beach resorts
Exploring new source markets in region and countries having cultural and religious
affinity.
Environmental protection and cultural preservation of national heritage projects
Launching of national image buildings and marketing plans (this eventually led to
incredible India campaign)
Providing inexpensive accommodation in different tourist centers so as to facilitate all
classes of potential tourists
Streaming of facilitation procedures at airports
Human resource development
Creating awareness among citizens
Facilitating private sector participation in development of infrastructure

The government of India had identified following institutions through which the
objectives had to be achieved.
1. Department of Tourism (Under the Minister of Civil Aviation & tourism)
The functional areas of the departments were basically classified as following-
To formulate and implement the policies and program for tourism development.
To attract foreign tourist by developing infrastructure, publicity and promotion, travel
agencies, etc. It had 21 filed officers in India providing facilitation services as in
2000.Apart from it, it also had 18 international offices to promote the cause of
tourism .The department had collaborated with Air India to make joint promotional
effects in US, UK, Europe, Australia and other countries.

2. India tourism development corporation (ITDC)

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 It is a public sector unit established in 1966 and was primarily involved in construction,
management and marketing of hotels restaurants, etc. the broad objectives of the
corporation were-
To construct, take over and manage existing hotels and market hotels, Beach Resorts,
Travelers' Lodges/Restaurants
To provide transport, entertainment, shopping and conventional services
To produce, distribute, tourist publicity material
To render consultancy-cum-managerial services in India and abroad
To carry on the business as Full-Fledged Money Changers (FFMC), restricted money
changers etc
To provide innovating, dependable and value for money solutions to the needs of
tourism development and engineering industry including providing consultancy and
project implementation

3. Indian institution of Tourism and Travel management

Established in 1983 IITTM is an autonomous body to educate tourism and travel
management for tourism personnel. It also organizes entrepreneurship development
programs, seminar, workshops, etc. The efforts of the Institute led to n evolving the
fundamental framework for tourism education and training in the country. The Ministry
of Tourism, Government of India has also entrusted the institute to conduct regional
level guide training programmes for all the regions of the country.
A number of promotional events were conducted by various agencies like
India travel market 2000, Mumbai-a travel and tourism exhibition promoted by ITE
(International travel and exhibition), UK.
The ‘India Show’ sponsored by SIDBI and promoted by FICCI in St Petersburg, Russia to
display the diverse profile and tourism potential of India at international platforms.
The year 2000 was identified as ‘Explore India’ year by the Ministry of Tourism and it
included various promotional events also. As a part of the event the famous rock band
VENGABOYS also performed in Hyderabad.

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The central government had also started identifying performing states and crediting
them for their success. The state of Kerala was awarded the title of best performing
state by government of India in 1999-2000.
The government also targeted the potential of certain areas which had relatively better
infrastructural facility and promoted then accordingly. As a part of this exercise ‘Delhi-
Agra-Jaipur’ was put on the world famous ‘golden triangle’.
In the year 1985 a mega event named “The Festival of India in the USA" was organized.
This festival was organized in the setting of rural India followed by Festival of India in
France, USSR and Germany. These conferences were generally followed by dinners with
the theme of rural India. It was in fact an image building exercise - a marketing strategy
to develop Rural Tourism.
The central government in association with private players had also initiated medical
tourism in India. The objective was to brand India as a place which provides ‘first world
treatment at third world prices ‘. Apollo has been a forerunner in medical tourism in
India and attracts patients from Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The group
has tied up with hospitals in Mauritius, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Yemen besides
running a hospital in Sri Lanka, and managing a hospital in Dubai.

India’s share of global international tourism at 2.64 million foreign arrivals through its
borders in year 2000 was relatively small in volume (about 0.38 per cent), but almost
twice as high in terms of US$ receipts (about 0.69 per cent). On the other hand, India’s
share of global domestic tourism was much higher (around 4.6 per cent of estimated
global domestic tourism). The tourism sector’s contribution to the national development
priorities and strategies has so far been relatively limited but it has got tremendous
potential (year 2000 figures). Ministry of Tourism, Government of India had estimated
that every Rs.10.00 lakhs invested in Tourism created 47.5 jobs. The same amount if
invested in Agriculture & Manufacturing sector can create only 44.7 and 12.6 jobs
respectively.
The government identified and classified their promotional strategy based on the
tourism potential life cycle of a particular area. For example there were regions like Goa

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 and Shimla which had reached maturity levels .They no more required promotion and
had similarly exhausted their carrying capacity (infrastructural, environmental or social
impacts). Their problem was of retaining their image, checking the decline and doing
away with the negative impacts of tourism. Their requirement was internal marketing,
product improvement, checking the decline, proper maintenance, etc.
On the other side was region like Kumaun which was struggling hard to promote its
attractions in different cities and rural areas and develop its tourism products. In such a
situation the destination may not take off at all or the entire developmental investment
may go waste. It was also imperative that if tourism was to be promoted, geographical
boundaries of various states should be abolished. Proper marketing channels were the
most significant challenge of this strategy. It was a usual phenomenon that local bodies
were either not aware about the developmental role of tourism or were constrained by
their own politics or lack of funds.

3. Impact of 09/11
Tourism industry is a significant contributor to the GDP of several countries. But the
growth of industry itself depends on number of external factors. Frequent wars,
terrorism incidents, political and economic instability, outbreak of contagious diseases
are some of the factors that may seriously hamper the revenues from tourism. Though
there is an unending list of such incidents but the 9/11 attacks on World Trade
Centre and Pentagon led to an unprecedented impact on international travel and
tourism.
This tragic incident had profound effects on US in particular and world in general. On
one hand it revealed the vulnerability of the most powerful nation of the world and on
the other hand it exposed the anti American resent worldwide .US retaliated
without delay by bombing in Afghanistan and hence the fight against terrorism was
directed towards South Asia. The 9/11incident had significant impact on security
dynamics of neighboring nations. India being one of the neighbouring countries was also
affected by these developments.

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 The repercussions extended beyond activities directly associated with tourism like
airlines, hotels and catering, to sectors that supply intermediate or final goods that are
purchased by firms and employees in industry.
"Long-haul travels to India whether for leisure or business is bound to get affected. The
severity of the impact will depend on how long the war lasts," said Maharaj I.S. Wahi,
president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.

4. The Incredible !ndia Marketing Story

The stage was set in 2002 to embark upon a campaign to re-vitalize the Tourism
Industry. Amitabh Kant, former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of
India in conjecture with V Sunil, Creative Director at O&M, Delhi, conceptualized the
Incredible India campaign. Earlier Mr. Kant was pivotal to the success of Kerala
Tourism’s ‘God’s Own Country’ campaign. Earlier promotion campaigns were left largely
to tourism offices with each of them coining their own tag lines right from Spiritual India
to Unbelievable India. Clichéd images of India were promoted: Saffron-clad Sadhus,
Snake Charmers, Elephant trails, etc. India managed to attract increasing volumes but
very little value.

India had to be re-positioned as a “Premier Holiday destination for high-yielding

tourists” and as a destination for the rich, famous, upwardly mobile, up-market
travelers. The strategy had to be Aggressive Marketing coupled with an Efficient and
Creative Advertising Campaign. It had to appeal to higher end market. Inspiration was
found in the phenomenal success of the “God’s Own Country” Campaign for Kerala,
largely attributed to Creating Branding, Marketing, and Advertising. Kerala has managed
to re-position itself as a Value Destination & not just a Mass Destination. India had to be
marketed globally in a unified and consistent manner. While most countries claimed
breathtaking locales, the mysticism of the Orient, the draw of the civilization, the call of
the wild, etc, India was all that and much more.

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 It is a journey of mind and soul
It is a journey of five senses
It is a journey of self-discovery
It is a journey of self-fulfillment
This had to be conveyed to the World. The biggest challenge remained, changing the
perception of India in the world. It is difficult to change deep-rooted notions about what
India is and what it has on offer.

4.1

After being convinced about the need to re-position India, O&M embarked upon the
task of choosing a Campaign Name. Considerable amount of time was invested. Several
names were bandied about including Mystical India, Welcome India, Ageless India, etc.
The product “INDIA” had to be re-positioned in the Global Tourists’ mind.

The Dictionary defines “Incredible” as “Beyond belief or understanding”. The word was
chosen since it represents all that is truly India. “Incredible” was chosen to leverage the
existing stereotypes about India but in a positive, engaging and sophisticated manner.
The branding of India as “Incredible” has been enormously successful since it evokes a
sense of mysticism, creativity, & boundlessness and at the same time grounded, seminal
and mundane at times.

The in the branding compliments the word “Incredible” and adds a visual impact of
shear wonder, intensity and awe. All aspects of India, be it Economic Progress,
Kaleidoscopic culture, Spirituality, Geography, et al are conveyed. The Vermilion
(Sindoor) represents the Cultural grounded-ness & timelessness of India. This certainly
was Creative Planning at its best where-in all that India has to offer is conveyed by a
symbol.

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4.2 “Incredible !ndia”- How the campaign
gathered steam
It was clear that the Campaign required the best creative brains, hence while deciding
on a campaign partner the Ministry of Tourism decided that 80% emphasis will be given
to quality and just 20% on cost. Eventually, top notch creative agency Ogilvy & Mather
was roped in for the campaign.
The Ministry of Tourism and O&M had identified that the “Incredible !ndia” campaign
had to explore all possible media and also innovate with new media to market India. The
“Incredible !ndia” campaign explored all available media as well as came up with
never-before-tried ways of Marketing India.
Leena Nandan's, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism 2005 says that, during the initial
years, the campaign focused only on India’s great monuments & images of beautiful
locales. It then focused on the promoting Yoga & Ayurveda. Later, it zoomed in on the
various fairs and festivals that the country hosts and the grand Plant & Animal Life. The
focus now is on Vibrancy and Diversity of India.

4.2.1 The Initiation: Testing the waters

In 2002, the “Incredible !ndia” campaign took off on a low note with an outlay of just Rs.
15 Crore. Traditional markets such as the UK, Italy, France and Germany were the first
targets. The lack of significant movements in the US market dissuaded the propagation
of the campaign there. The campaign was initiated with the primary goal to create a
Distinctive Identity for India. Most Markets monitors called it the “Testing-the-water”
campaign.
The result was the iconic “Incredible !ndia” logo, where the “!” mark used to form the
“I” in India was used to great effect across media. The campaign successfully established
India as a high-end tourist destination, registering a 16% increase in tourist traffic in the
first year itself.

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During 2003-04, the focus shifted entirely to Spiritual Tourism, which led to a
phenomenal increase of 28.8% in tourist traffic and the No.1 ranking in the
“Travel+Leisure” Readers Survey.

In 2003, Condé Nast Traveller rated India as among the top ten preferred tourist
destinations for discerning travelers. “India’s results are very exciting and show the
country’s increasing popularity amongst sophisticated travelers. It also reflects very
positively on the individuals involved in promoting India as a premium tourist
destination.” Sarah Miller, Editor, Condé Nast Traveller, 2003.

In January 2004, survey conducted by Lonely Planet in 134 countries to select the
world’s favourite destination for individual travellers resulted in India being ranked
among the top 5 favorite Trans-national destinations. The respondents were at least
Degree Holders and in the age group of 25-34. Lonely Planet opined that this was a very
good sign for the Indian Tourism Industry. The 2003/04 campaign won Gold at PATA
(Pacific Asia Travel Association) and the Bombay Ad Club.

Most campaigns on Indian Tourism were bowing, scraping & condescending. 2006-07
changed all of this by projecting India as a wry, self-assured, confident, proud &
progressive. The print and outdoor executions combined spectacular images with
confident tones.

4.2.2 The Turning Point

2007 was a pivotal in the evolution of the “Incredible !ndia” Campaign. India,
celebrating 60 years of Independence was the momentous occasion.

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4.2.2.1 In March 2007, the “Incredible !ndia” campaign extended to the
Internationale Tourismus Bourse (ITB), Berlin. The ITB is the world’s largest
travel and tourism show and India participated in the capacity of the only Partner
Country.
The Campaign transformed Berlin into a giant canvas, covering the city with large
billboards, branding on buses & taxis, vibrant graphic art & 3-D installations. The new
level of sophistication was largely unexpected and the “Incredible !ndia” Campaign at
ITB overwhelmed International Trade and Media.
Overall area: 150,000 sq. m.
No. of exhibitors: 10,923
No. of countries: 180
No. of foreign exhibitors: 7,215
No. of German exhibitors: 3,708
No. of visitors: 177,154
No. of trade visitors: 108,735
Partner country: India
India benefited immensely from the status of a Partner Country with a total attendance
of 177,154, ITB Press Release dated 12.03.2007.

India at ITB was an experience for every participant with the Campaign covering every
Point-of-Purchase.
Invitation: Over 5,000 Industry Leaders were to participate and to garner their attention
was no mean task. The initial invitations cards were followed by an e-mail reminder
detailing the program schedule. Various visitor touch points including taxis, hotels, and
galleries had over 500,000 program fliers and cards listing the daily program schedule.
Arrival: The India experience began right at the airport. Massive billboards, banners and
posters with tongue-in-cheek comments, messages and headlines boldly announced the
presence of the new confident India at the ITB.

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Street: Giant hoarding and billboards playfully highlighted the dramatic contrast
between Indian and European cultures. Cabs, Taxis, trams and buses were wrapped in
campaign-themed skins, giving commuters with almost door-to-door brand awareness.
Welcome to the party: For the first time in ITB history, the Partner Country hosted a
huge pre-launch party. The India Evening dazzled guests with a kaleidoscope of fashion,
culture and fine cuisine, whetting their appetites for the week to come.
Art: Installation 1: A souped-up scooter rickshaw was specially flown in to showcase
‘India version 2.0’. Installation 2: ‘Wool Wall’ - Bundles of brightly colored wool stacked
in a glass cube provided a vibrant 3D background for the brand.
Exhibition: National Geographic staged a special India-themed exhibition at ITB,
showcasing some of the country’s best photographers.
India Pavilion: It was a week filled with business meetings, presentations, art shows,
craft displays, ayurveda demonstrations, astrology sessions, classical dances, folk music,
tea-tasting, bangle stalls, henna and a mock wedding.
The National Geographic issued a special collector's edition in Deutschland titled 'The
Magic of India’ to coincide with the event.
Booklets and posters During the ITB emphasized India’s position – and tremendous
potential – as the world’s fastest growing democracy.

"ITB Berlin is an international media event and the partner country gets enormous
coverage worldwide. As a principal destination for business travelers and tourists, India
has now established a firm place in world tourism.” Astrid Ehring, Press Officer, Messe
Berlin.

“ITB Berlin 2007 – the leading international travel industry meet – set new records.
There were 15% more trade visitors with an increasingly international dimension. The
ITB Convention had 9,000 participants (a 25% increase) and highly topical subject
matter.

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4.2.2.2 India Now was a three-month long campaign designed to showcase India’s
accelerating economy and ever-evolving culture. It was organized from July to
September 2007 in London and featured events, activities and festivals across the
capital dedicated to Indian art, film, food, theatre, music and fashion. As part of the
campaign, buses and taxis plying along the main routes in London wore vibrant
Incredible India colors and messages. Outdoor panels in 150 bus shelters featured
images of India that corresponded to the names of famous London Underground
stations, creating a dramatic and amusing contrast. An estimated one million Londoners
and visitors to London participated in these events. There was also a 16% jump in
inbound tourism from the UK.

4.2.2.3 Cannes Film Festival

This special campaign was designed to attract a global film crowd at the International
Film Festival at Cannes. Large outdoor posters showed off India’s diverse and
picturesque locales - from the golden beaches of Kerala to the Tiger reserves of Madhya
Pradesh - with cinematographic-themed headlines such as ‘Location for Hire’ in French.

4.2.2.4 India @ 60, New York 2007

The year 2007 not only marked the 60th year of independence for India but also
celebrated the arrival of India on the global platform. The Incredible India@60 campaign
was launched in New York from 23rd-26th September 2007 to coincide with the UN
General Assembly session. The combination of the four-day event and the General
Assembly created the perfect opportunity to showcase the best of India to world
leaders, top international business moguls and the public. Incredible India@60 took

India’s extraordinary energy and cultural diversity to the watching world. Billboards at
Times square, taxis, buses, bus shelters, TV and radio announced the arrival of a brand
new India. With eight ministries, eight overseas partners and 41 events – including four
gala dinners, 13 conferences and panel discussions, nine cultural shows, seven

15
 receptions and eight ongoing events – it was a grand show that maximized India’s
presence and visibility to the world.
This complex project was choreographed and made possible by Amitabh Kant and V
Sunil, with the support of Ministry of Tourism officials.

4.2.2.5 2007: The Colors of India campaign emphasized India’s diverse cultural
spectrum. Featuring breathtaking images and color-based headlines such as Coffee
Brown and Red Hot, the campaign was launched globally in 71 leading newspapers and
magazines. Using traditional and interactive media - print, outdoor and the internet -
India was positioned as a unique and vibrant destination for tourists. This was the
second campaign developed by Leena Nandan, Joint Secretary (Tourism) and V Sunil,
Executive Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy Delhi.

4.2.2.6 2008 Motherland: India

The India Tourism 2008 campaign was based on the experiences of those who came to
visit India as tourists and stayed back to make India their home. It takes a special bond
with the country and its people to give up everything you know and set up home, take
roots in India. These are the people who’ve truly embraced the culture and assimilated
it into their being. As opposed to those who’ve simply being ‘bitten by the India bug’.
Staying back is prompted by a decision that will change their lives forever. It is not a
mere whim or adventure. It is the commitment of a lifetime. There are several people
like this in India and we went through a careful process to select the ones who we felt
could be ambassadors to our culture. The creative idea employed a simple device that
stated their country of birth, followed by text that said ‘Motherland: India’.
After the success of the Pilot phase, the Planning Commission decided to increase the
allocation to the campaign to Rs. 165Crore for 2007-08 and Rs.235Crore for 2008-09.

Foreign Tourists In India

  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Jan 283750 228150 274215 337345 385977 459489 532088 584765

16
Feb 262306 227529 262692 331697 369844 439090 498806 560658
Mar 248965 225558 218473 293185 352094 391009 444186 509926
Apr 185338 155378 160941 223884 248416 309208 333945 369677
May 151098 132998 141508 185502 225394 255008 267758 290785
Jun 176716 143100 176324 223122 246970 278370 310104 344526
Jul 224432 186432 225359 272456 307870 337332 377474 -
Aug 196517 161477 204940 253301 273856 304387 360089 -
Sep 162326 151721 191339 226773 257184 297891 325893 -
Oct 181605 212191 260569 307447 347757 391399 440715 -
Nov 209685 243566 290583 385238 423837 442413 510987 -
Dec - - 319271 417527 479411 541571 575148 -
                 
Total 2282738 2073025 2726214 3457477 3918610 4447167 4977193 2660337

For instance, green of massive tea plantations, red of spicy dry chillies, white of the Taj
and yellow of the hot vast deserts. So, in this journey we have covered everything from
spirituality to wildlife and beautiful landscapes to effervescent people. The campaign is
running in several countries, including the UK, USA, ASEAN countries as well as far-east.
It is through Incredible India that people in these countries know India as an immensely
vibrant and diverse country. 

4.2.2.7 Atithi Devo Bhavah Campaign

"Atithi Devo Bhavah" was designed in 2005, to compliment the "Incredible India"
campaign of the Ministry of Tourism. As Indians are renowned for their warm hospitality,
"Atithi Devo Bhavah", (Guest is God) is an appropriate campaign to boost the Indian
tourism industry. 
The main objectives of "Atithi Devo Bhavah" Campaign are as follows:
Preserving the rich heritage and culture of our country

Sensitizing the main stakeholders of the tourism industry towards the tourists, with the
help of training and orientation

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To reinstall the sense of pride and responsibility among the natives of our country
towards visitors, so that more number of international tourists preferred India as an
ideal destination for holidaying
Seven Components of "Atithi Devo Bhavah" Programme
These are the set rules and trainings that would be imparted to stakeholders
participating in Atithi Devo Bhavah progamme. 
1. Samvedan Sheelta or Sensitization
This campaign sensitizes the various stakeholders of the tourism industry about how
each of them can contribute in the growth of the Indian tourism industry and how it will
benefit them. 
2. Prashikshan or Training and Induction
This involves the training of the people involved in the tourism industry. Here, the
stakeholders are made to realize the needs and expectation of the tourist and how they
should respond and behave with the tourists to satisfy their needs. 
3. Prerna or Motivation
This component is useful in motivating the stakeholders to participate in this campaign
through various measures such as awards for the best worker in the segment. The
Rewards helps to motivate stakeholder and increase their efficiency to deliver their best.
4. Pramani Karan or Certification
Certification to ensure standards shall be done at an appropriate stage in the training
program 
5. Pratipushti or Feedback
This involves getting of feedback from tourists about the various services they have
received and the experience they had. It tends to improve the training program on a
continual basis and help in remolding of programs, if needed. 

6. Samanya Bodh or General Awareness

Help from various mass media forms are undertaken to create general awareness
among the public about the requirement and the benefits of the Atithi Devo Bhavah

18
programme. 
7. Swamitwa or Ownership
Swamitwa is one of the programme under Atithi Devo Bhavah that urges all segments of
the Indian society to adopt, and look after the culture, heritage and tourists as they take
care of their own self. 

To popularize "Atithi Devo Bhavah" campaign among the grass root level people i.e. the
taxi drivers, tourist guides, immigration officers, tourist police and other personnel who
interacts with the tourists, Ministry of Tourism has used famous Bollywood star Aamir
Khan as the brand ambassador for this campaign. Till date, Aamir khan has done two
television commercials, print advertisements and posters for the promotion of this
campaign. 

Film lyricist Prasson Joshi and film director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra are also aiding
Aamir Khan in promoting the rich cultural heritage of India and ways to preserve and
enhance it. As Aamir Khan has great impact over the masses, he is an ideal person to
reinstill the right attitude inside the citizens of our country and make them implement
the true meaning of "Atithi Devo Bhavah". 

Aamir khan is spreading awareness among the general Indian citizens as well as to the
key stakeholders of the tourism industry about the issues related to tourism like 
Hygiene and Cleanliness in the historical monuments, tourist spots, tourist vehicles,
hotel rooms, restaurants, shops etc.
Conduct and Behavior of the people who interacts with the tourists directly such as
taxi drivers, tourist guides, immigration officers, tourist police and other personnel.
They should behave in a courteous and polite manner.
Integrity and Honesty of the people providing services to the tourists. It will bring
confidence among the international tourists about our country.

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 Last but not the least, Safety and Security of the international tourists who visits
India to have a nice experience of lifetime that lingers into the memory for entire
life.

4.3 THE MARKETING STRATEGY – KEY

HIGHLIGHTS
4.3.1 ESTABLISHMENT OF BRAND INDIA
Incredible India had been envisioned to market India as one of the best tourist
destinations, globally. It aimed to project India as an opportunity for physical
invigoration, mental rejuvenation, cultural enrichment and spiritual elevation.

4.3.2 USE OF! SYMBOL

To convey the mind boggling depth and intensity of the Indian experience. Every
aspect of India be it’s over accelerating GDP, extreme geography, kaleidoscopic
culture, deep rooted spirituality or photogenic chaos- the simple yet profound
exclamation mark sums it all. This concept is also known as Creative Planning
wherein a message is created in such a way that it is able to penetrate the
barriers and filters of the target audience and leave a memorable impression.

The brand focussed on to position India as a destination for the rich and the
famous. It was targeted at an upmarket elite traveller something like the rich and
famous to allow revenues to flow in. The strategy also included the use of
aggressive marketing and an efficient as well as a creative advertising campaign.
Prior to the launch, Kerala was the only state which had created a strong brand
identity for itself. The brand, 'God's Own Country' was all set for global
recognition in a relatively short span of time and  Kerala as a destination managed
to stand out in a crowded market place, thanks to the creative branding,
marketing and advertising. 

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 In Leena Nandan's words (joint secretary, Ministry of tourism) "Incredible India
has had many facets right from its inception. In the initial years, it boasted of the
country’s great monuments and images of beautiful locales. It then focussed on
promoting yoga and ayurveda. Then, there was a promotion of various fairs and
festivals that the country hosts. We also spoke of the grand wildlife our country
has. We showed various hues of India through black and white images and one-
liners. This year the focus has been on the vibrancy and diversity of India. We
often hear foreign tourist commenting that India is a colourful country. So, we
used the inherent colours of India to showcase various tourism products. 

For instance, green of massive tea plantations, red of spicy dry chillies, white of
the Taj and yellow of the hot vast deserts. So, in this journey we have covered
everything from spirituality to wildlife and beautiful landscapes to effervescent
people. The campaign is running in several countries, including the UK, USA,
ASEAN countries as well as far-east. It is through Incredible India that people in
these countries know India as an immensely vibrant and diverse country. 

4.3.3 Rewards & Recognitions for the campaign

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) ‘Grand Award’ for marketing in 2007
was awarded to the ‘INCREDIBLE INDIA’ campaign at Bali, Indonesia.
India also bagged two Gold awards for Cultural Tourism (Aranmula) and
marketing brochure (Kumarkom) awarded to Kerala Tourism.

4.3.4 Value Proposition

Millions of people around the world choose to spend and implement their
vacations in India each year. They take a lot of time to plan their tours

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and holidays in India. In fact an Indian tour is a tradition in some of these
families.
But a lot of people choose not to take a tour to India because of the high cost
that is associated with these types of trips. While others may not be able to
implement Indian holidays due to the fact that everyone has a relatively busy
schedule.
A family tour to India however does not have to end up being expensive. There
are numerous places that a family can go to that do not cost much. Good
facilities are offered even in resorts and 3 star hotels in India. A family trip to
India is not just about the place that you decide to visit; it is about the quality
time that you can enjoy together as a family in Incredible India.

A family trip to India brings members together and allows the members of the
family to truly enjoy the company of each other. In a time such as today when
the world has become a global village, Incredible India aims at giving you a
place away from all the rush and devoted to an amazing time spent with the
family.

Everybody has responsibilities and commitments and there is not much time left
to relax and get the proper amount of rest. Children have to attend schools and
meet up with the academic aspirations; parents are normally working to meet
financial obligations. Hence families must work together to take time off and go
for a vacation where they may relax and get the rejuvenation that they need. It is
a time for reflections on the year that has ended and to make plans for the
coming times.

Things that make India a truly incredible destination for family vacations - Leisure
holidays are all about having fun and experiencing the colours of India. India, the
land of kings and tigers, witnesses record arrival of foreign tourists as well as
domestic tourists. It continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations

22
 of the world. Globally famous, India attracts tourists from France, USA, Germany,
Britain, Italy, Canada, Japan, Australia, Switzerland and Bangladesh in quite good
numbers.

Full of a royal splendour and an enduring legacy, India has lots to offer tourists
with invincible monuments and elegant palaces that grandly stand to narrate the
saga of a bygone era, a rich culture, a glorious past, colourful practices and
tradition, majestic monuments and palaces, beautiful forts and temples,
historical cities, rustic villages, shimmering sand dunes, exciting desert safaris,
camel rides, forest safaris, mountains, lakes, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks,
and much more.

4.3.5 POSITIONING
Essentially, 'Incredible India was a positioning and branding strategy that
differentiated India in the global marketplace. It was developed so that all
tourism offices, tour operators and organizations promoting India as a
destination could market it in a unified and consistent manner. Incredible India
was built on a solid research foundation that resulted in a set of descriptors for
the personality and values of India and an “essence” that captures the
underlying spirit of the country. Therefore, Incredible India captured its unique
spirituality, the colours of its landscape and the distinctive character of its
people.
The strategy was to reposition India as a premium destination for upscale
tourists with all communication sharply focused to attract the up market

clientele i.e. the early adopters who lead the way to the rest of the markets.
Markets are differential and responsive to the views and requirements of
upscale tourists, which in turn have a positive impact on the nature of
development itself.

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 A brand-line for promoting a destination must cut across key markets, to an
extent that even French-speaking people must start accepting the phrase
“Incredible India”. It’s not the word alone. It is the creativity behind it, projected
through 360-degree marketing. The imagery must connect to the mind of the
consumer.
Based on a well-researched strategy, a marketing plan was worked and the
Incredible India communication strategy fell in place. The positioning of the
destination was clear; it was looking at India which was going to appeal to the
upper end of the market.
This strategy at a small scale had been attempted in Kerala which had moved
from a mass to value destination.

4.4 FOCUS ON 2009

Year 2009 has been particularly challenging for the tourism sector. Tourism has
been deeply impacted due to the global economic crisis and the terror attacks in
Mumbai. The Tourism Ministry is taking initiatives to ensure that the growth
momentum of the tourism sector since the launch of the Incredible India
campaign in 2002 is maintained. Some of the major initiatives undertaken by the
tourism ministry include:

4.4.1 Focus India

With an aim to provide the necessary stimulus to the travel and tourism sector in
these challenging times, the ministry of tourism s decided to extend its

Incredible India campaign to the domestic market. All forms of media, TV, print
and radio are being used to target the domestic tourists. While some of the
initial ads released in India are from the ministry’s international campaign, the
ministry is also developing new ads especially adapted for the domestic market.

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 The ministry has set aside a budget of 60 crores for marketing and promotions
for domestic tourism.
While in the past the ministry has taken several initiatives to promote India as a
destination for rural tourism and adventure tourism, it also plans to develop
Caravan, Wellness and Heliport tourism. The private sector is also very
enthusiastic about these niche tourism products and the ministry is exploring a
private public partnership model for this initiative.

4.4.2 Rural Tourism

With almost 74 per cent of its population residing in over seven million villages,
rural tourism has a lot of potential in India. Building on the tagline “India lives in
villages”, tourism ministry has begun a process of developing a strong platform
around the concept of rural tourism and has identified around 137 locations in
various states of India to attract foreign tourists. One of the features being
offered as a part of Rural tourism is home stay, where a tourist can stay like a
guest in a house and experience the traditions, heritage and culture of a
particular area.
Even the ubiquitous “Incredible India” campaign reflects the shift in marketing;
one sign in New Delhi’s international airport assures travellers that washing
machines might get their clothes clean but don’t make for good photos—the
advertisement shows colourful saris drying on steps.
A website ‘www.ExploreRuralIndia.org’ has been created for promoting Rural
tourism, through which the ministry of tourism and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) are focusing on rural tourism as a means to
generate employment and promote sustainable livelihoods in India’s villages.

The website lays out the rural attractions of 15 locations (21 more will be added
in the next six months). The Rural Tourism lays special emphasis on tourists who
come on their second or third trip to India. These tourists, already familiar with

25
 the major tourist sites, want to dig a little deeper and Rural tourism provides
exactly that.
Another segment being targeted for Rural tourism includes nationals and
foreigners who have a taste for something different and want an interactive
experience.

4.4.3 Awareness Abroad

The Tourism Industry has undertaken many initiatives to increase the awareness
of the Incredible India campaign abroad. The focus has been on highlighting
some of India’s legendary tourist attractions and also on showcasing the
incentives being offered as a part of ‘Visit India, 2009’ campaign. Some of these
initiatives are as follows:

‘Incredible India’ spots
The Incredible India spots featured during the telecast of Oscar, Grammy and
BAFTA award Functions. Incredible India spots are placed on major pan
European channels during renowned world events. The ministry also placed
advertisements in the print media to coincide with the World Economic Forum
and the G20 summit. The ads will also feature during the popular “Hollywood
Bowl” held in Los Angeles in September.

  ‘Visit India 2009’ campaign in Dubai

India Tourism, Dubai branded a high rise building with the Incredible India– Visit
India Year 2009 message to attract potential tourists from UAE . This was one of
the many initiatives undertaken by India Tourism, Dubai as a run-up to the
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in May 2009, as well as to the summer campaign
roll out, to make India a destination of choice with the Arab tourists.

Incredible India Bus Wrap, Beijing

The Tourism Ministry started the first phase of the Incredible India outdoor
advertising campaign in Beijing in March by putting on road the first public bus

26
 wrapped in Incredible India images. For a month thereafter, the public bus plied
through some of Beijing’s trendiest quarters.

  Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention, Miami

India Tourism, New York participated in the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention
in Miami, USA, one of the largest cruise industry events held in March. It offered
India an excellent professional platform to showcase its tourism potential. Cruise
Tourism is being recognized as a growing segment in the market. India also
showcased the developmental initiatives undertaken by the major ports of India
as well as the significant policy initiatives of the Ministry of Shipping, Road
Transport & Highways. The Ministry of Tourism’s promotion of cruise tourism
was also highlighted at the convention.

4.4.4 Print campaign

In Jan 2009, Wieden+ Kennedy India has launched a print campaign targeted at
inbound tourist traffic to the country, which will be released in leading luxury
travel and lifestyle magazines abroad, primarily North America and UK. The print
campaign has been shot by photographer Bharat Sikka. The theme is
'Motherland India' consisting of a series of five print ads. It looks at foreigners
who have settled in India after falling in love with the country. It also emphasizes
the need identified by the tourism industry to spread the campaign through
word of mouth as they plan collate individual case studies that the W+K team
unearthed and put them together online to build community. This would be an
important stop for information for all those interested in visiting the country.

4.4.5 Social media

It is being used to build an online passionate community that would include
featuring documentaries of personal testimonials from Indophiles, sharing their

27
 experiences in India. The target audience for the print campaign is primarily
inbound global tourists. One of those featured includes danseuse Devayani, a
Frenchwoman who earlier went by the name of Anna Chaymotty. She visited
India on a personal whim and ended up staying back in the country, being
fascinated by Bharat Natyam. She has been in India for the last 25 years,
practicing extensively as a Bharat Natyam performer. Another woman featured
is Julie Martin, who teaches Yoga in Goa, and was earlier working in Hollywood.
She had always yearned to come to India and eventually ended up staying back
for good.

4.4.6 Resolute India campaign

Another campaign launched on Jan 7, 2009 focuses on a resolute India. The
media campaign has both print and TV commercials which send out messages of
teamwork and unity while promoting various places in the country. According to
a report in today’s Times of India (TOI) by Himanshi Dhawan, ‘Global meltdown’
is another theme that MoT used in the campaign as the campaign wanted to
strike a note with the people. Another feature in the campaign included a visual
of a tiger stating Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “I want all the cultures of all lands to
be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my
feet by any.” One of the ads shows the famous Onam boat with the
tagline, “Here everybody moves as one body. Teamwork and unity of purpose
reflective of quintessential India."

4.4.7 Tie up with Oscar and Grammy Awards

The Incredible India spots would appear during the Oscar, Grammy and BAFTA
award Functions on “E! Entertainment Channel”, trying to catch the attention of
the world population.
While Oscars are the most prestigious Hollywood award functions, the BAFTA or
the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a British charity that
hosts annual award shows for excellence in film and television.

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 The Grammy awards, given for outstanding work in the music and spoken
recording industry, forms a major televised event.

4.4.8 Tie up with Global channels

Apart from these major events, Incredible India spots will also be placed on
major pan European channels during renowned world events.
Such spots will also appear on CNN television, mainly during the “Talk Asia”
programme, aimed at attracting the ethnic Asian population.
The ministry will also place advertisements in the print media to coincide with
the World Economic Forum and the G20 summit.
The ads will also feature during the popular “Hollywood Bowl” held in Los
Angeles in September. The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern amphitheatre in
the Hollywood area of Los Angeles in California that is used primarily for music
performances. It has a seating capacity of 17,376.
The Incredible India brand is also set to be featured in all road shows to be held
in Moscow and St. Petersburg in September 09.Apart from road shows and
television spots, the advertisements will appear in the in-flight magazines of all
major international carriers.

 4.4.9 VISIT INDIA 2009

In an effort to reverse the decline in international tourist arrivals in the country
after Mumbai terror attacks, India launched a new tourism promotion campaign
to woo foreign visitors, termed as ‘Visit India, 2009’.
The new campaign ‘Visit India Year 2009’ was launched at the current
International Tourism Exchange in Berlin to present the country as an attractive
destination for the holidaymakers.
The campaign was a joint initiative by the government and the tourism industry
to win back international visitors who had turned away from India due to
terrorism and global economic downturn.
International tourist arrivals in India continued to grow last year even after the
financial crisis began to unfold in some major tourism markets such as the

29
 United States and Britain, but the Mumbai attacks dealt a severe blow to foreign
tourist travelling to the country.
The government has joined hands with leading airlines, hoteliers, holiday resorts

and tour operators in this ambitious marketing campaign to bring back foreign
tourists by offering them a wide range of incentives and bonuses during the
period between April and December, 2009.
The airlines participating in the campaign, Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher
Airlines will offer a “companion free ticket” for every ticket purchased for
international and domestic flights.
The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has agreed to join this campaign
and has given its consent to conduct a series of road shows in 20 cities of
different countries that includes Singapore, Malaysia, USA, UK, Japan, Australia,
Ireland, Canada and South Korea. The road shows commenced from Melbourne,
Australia on 25 February, 2009. Even the member airlines of this scheme are
offering door prizes by a lucky draw during these road shows.
  

5. Challenges for Tourism in 2009

Tourism sector has been badly impacted in 2009 due to the economic crisis and Mumbai
terror attacks. India has seen its tourist arrivals drop in recent months for the first time
since 2002 when it launched its hugely successful "Incredible India" campaign that
enticed millions of well-heeled tourists from around the world to explore the wonders
of India. Foreigners appear to have been targeted as the gunmen attacked two luxury
hotels, a popular night spot and a Jewish centre in India's financial capital. Since then,
countries have issued advisories against travelling to India and popular tourist areas
such as Goa have been on alert for more attacks.

6. The Road ahead

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6.1 Tourism marketing potential during the Commonwealth
Games
Delhi will be hosting the Commonwealth Games in October 2010.What makes the CWG
so important in sporting events and a coup for Indian tourism segment, is that the
Olympic and Commonwealth Games are the second largest sports events held in
modern times. Other cities that have hosted the CWG have recorded major spurt in
tourism since their chance at this excellent reason for global travellers to come together
in a spirit of competition, learning and life experiences while also giving the countries a
chance to present a newer, vibrant youth-appeal to their land. According to the
estimates the percentage of foreign tourists arrival in the country will increase by 15- 20
percent, as compared to the last year growth of merely six percent which was hurt by
the Mumbai attacks. 

Steps taken by GOI towards boosting tourist inflow for CWG

The Government of India in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and
Archaeological Survey Of India (ASI) has plans to launch special programme 'Discover
India in CWG 2010' and for same must they are supposed to organize road shows in
Australia, South Africa, US, Singapore, Canada, Mauritius etc. as tourists arrival in India
is expected to be more from these countries. 
Since the Common Wealth Games are scheduled to be held in the India's capital city –
Delhi, the government has come up the new development plans to change the look and
feel of the city, for the better. Further the new project have come up to discover new
heritage, religious, adventurous tourists sites in the northern states of India bordering
Delhi including the Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

6.2 Incredible India and Malaysia – Truly Asia, the ground

realities

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Malaysian tour operators, who spoke to some visiting Indian journalists, would tend to
think that India's glossy tourism promotion campaign is masking some ugly realities
after feedback from their clients whom they sent to India in recent years.
Most tourists returning from India complain that they have been misled. Often, the
complaint is about dirty tourist sites, which are far removed from what is usually
depicted in official brochures. A case in point: 'Incredible India' brochures depict crystal
clear blue water gushing past the Taj Mahal, the 17th century marble monument in
Agra. However as per Mohammed Hashim, who visited India last year along with his
family, "All we saw was filthy river (Yamuna) water stagnated behind the monument.”
He also recalled being hounded by beggars and aggressive vendors and fleeced by
uncouth taxi drivers while visiting Ooty in Tamil Nadu. "We went there to travel by the
steam engine-hauled train," Hashim explained.
"Why do people travel? They travel to fulfill their dreams and to look for serenity," he
said.
According to Cindy Lim, director (international promotion division) of Malaysia Tourism
Promotion Board (MTPB) the mixing of dreams with reality is fine as long as it’s not
disproportionate.
A senior executive of a leading travel agency in Kuala Lumpur said Malaysians, who have
returned from India, have complained that New Delhi's promotional literature puts a
gloss on some ugly ground realities of the country. In the process, the campaign may
end up putting off repeat visitors.
Though foreign tourist arrivals in India have risen over 17 per cent since the launch of
the 'Incredible India' campaign in 2003, travel operators in Kuala Lumpur feel that New
Delhi has a difficult task of ensuring tourist loyalty.
A market research undertaken by World Tourism Organization, shows that Building and
maintaining credibility is fundamental in tourism promotion. The research pointed out
how Bahamas was criticized in the international media for using photographs in its
advertising that were taken in Hawaii, the Seychelles and Florida.
Though all photos for the 'Incredible India' campaign were shot in India, there is a gross
misrepresentation of reality.

32
However in Malyasia that was visited by more than 172,000 Indians last year, the
feedback was that they were able to see all of what was shown in the 'Malaysia Truly
Asia' ad campaign.

Since its launch in 1999, Malaysia Truly Asia campaign has helped almost triple tourist
inflow into this Southeast Asian country. From 5.5 million tourists visiting the country in
1998, there were over 15.7 million tourists in 2004, a whopping figure for a nation of a
little over 22 million.
On the other hand, the Indian ad campaign has only helped marginally increase tourist
arrival from 2.72 million in 2003 to 3.36 million in 2004.
In contrast, foreign tourist inflow in Malaysia had nearly doubled within two years of
Malaysia Truly Asia campaign's launch.
The Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board is already concentrating on moving forward
with the campaign, which would target the repeat visitor, besides the special visitor.It
wants to promote nature package and get our visitors to stay back for longer durations
India hence, needs to set its house in order before showcasing itself as an incredible
destination.

How were the efforts different in Malaysia?

After the severe recession in the mid 1980’s the government had given a very high
priority to the development of the tourism industry. The seriousness of the government
in promoting the tourism industry was manifested by the establishment of the Ministry
of Culture, Arts and Tourism in 1987. In 2004, this ministry was restructured into three
ministries and one of them is the Ministry of Tourism which was assigned to take care
of, coordinating and implementing government policies and strategies pertaining to
tourism development. Various tourism-related agencies at the state level were also set
up, besides having some promotional activities such as the declaration of Visit Malaysia
Year’ (VMY) in the 1990’s, 2000, and 2007, and active participation of the private
agencies.

33
 As a consequence, total tourist arrivals increased dramatically especially in 1990 and
thereafter. In 1990, there are 7.4 million of tourist arrivals compared to 4.8 million
tourist arrivals in 1989. However, the following year (1991), due to lack of promotional
programme tourist arrivals dropped to 5.8 million. Tourist arrivals continued to escalate
to 7.5, 10.2 and 15.7 million in 1995, 2000 and 2004 respectively. In the 1990’s (1991-
2000), the annual average growth of tourism was quite high at about 11 per cent.

6.3 Great Barrier Reef by Australia

The Best Job in the World campaign, a global search for a “Caretaker of the Islands of
the Great Barrier Reef,” with a six-month, AUD $150,000 ($117,986) contract, was
launched in January. More than 34,000 applications from almost 200 countries were
received with the U.K.’s Ben Southall announced as the Island Caretaker in early May.
Southall will begin his six-month contract on July 1 and will spend his time exploring the
Islands of the Great Barrier Reef and reporting back on his experiences. The campaign
has so far generated more than AUD $200 million ($157 million) in global publicity value
for Queensland. 

Tourism Queensland will launch a global search for four mates to share exploring the
Islands of the Great Barrier Reef with Best Job in the World Island Caretaker Ben
Southall. The friends will report back to Ben about their experiences with photos, videos
and via a guest blog on “www.islandreefjob.com.”
Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said the latest campaign which was dubbed the 'Best
Experience in the World' would roll out shortly through www.islandreefjob.com.

7. Areas of improvement
Unless India makes it to offer quality tourism products and world-class infrastructure,
branding exercise alone can’t turn up returns. In a country like India, tourism is largely a
regional phenomenon, while some areas are flourishing with activities; some are

34
unexplored yet even as they have potential. Tourists still gather at the conventional sites
of some prominent cities of India like Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, etc. Given the range of
diversity; and heritage pool, we could have adopted measures to disburse
foreign tourists to each corner of the country.

Our land is already a tourists-savvy one. All we need is a strategy involving public and
private participation. There is acute shortage of hotels and manpower to deal with
escalating number of tourists. Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in many cities is still inadequate.
France has little to flaunt in terms of cuisine, geography and culture; and a country six
times smaller than India, can attract 20 times number of tourist that India did.

India is insecure. The cases of tourist murder are being reported every month, the tragic
murder of scarlet recently has added to the woes of foreigners. Foreigners are fleeced
everywhere. Many hotspots in India are connected unacceptably. It is high time for India
to embark on a mission to develop the unexplored sites across India, connect them
properly; increase the number of hotels; provide infrastructure; offer security to
foreigners and finally to wake up Indians to work jointly to make our country the best
travel getaway of the world. Mere branding efforts wouldn’t work.

In the words of Ambika Soni…

The ITB is looking at working with various other ministries and state governments to
address the problems of rail, road and air connectivity, in important tourist destinations,
besides creating additional hotel rooms.

The Ministry is keen to have public-private partnership models to create infrastructure.

It’s special Large Revenue Generating Scheme could be utilized for this purpose. The
Finance Minister had also provided tax incentives for budget category hotels up to four-
star in the NCR region. Another significant development in this regard was the B&B
scheme according to which a house owner could rent out up to a maximum of five

35
 rooms for tourists without having to pay any commercial taxes. It had also been able to
get the FM's approval for abatement of service tax up to 75 per cent for tour operators
to help them achieve greater competitiveness.

Public-private partnerships are most useful modules in creating tourism infrastructure.

Private participation is encouraged in the upkeep and preservation of India’s
monuments and libraries. Not only the expertise but also the resources are needed. It is
for this purpose that the National Cultural Fund has been set up. Members of the
corporate sector, industry, private and philanthropy could contribute to this fund and
avail full tax incentives for their contributions while helping to preserve India's heritage.

8. SURVEY ANALYSIS
An online survey was conducted through website http://www.esurveypro.com
generating 150 responses from both Indian and foreign nationals.

36
37
38
Individual break-up of each of the above parameters in terms of preference

39
40
Individual break-up of each of the above parameters in terms of preference

41
 Individual break-up of each of the above media in terms of preference

Individual break-up of each of the above measures in terms of preference

42
Individual break-up of each of the above measures in terms of preference

43
As per the survey conducted the Incredible !ndia campaign generated moderate awareness and
is negligibly effective. It could be judged from the fact that after seeing the campaign only 12%
people made their travel plans to or within India.

Atithi Devo Bhava campaign was started under the umbrella of Incredible !ndia campaign by
Ministry of Tourism to generate nationwide social awareness among the people of India to
preserve the rich cultural heritage of our country. To popularize the campaign at the grass root
level, Ministry of Tourism used famous Bollywood star Aamir Khan as the brand ambassador.
According to the survey conducted 82% feel that the campaign plays a vital role to boost the
tourism sector in India and also the idea of campaign endorsement by a celebrity is well
accepted by 69% of the respondents.

According to 77% people India still lags behind other countries with respect to tourism.

44
The campaign is advertised on a massive scale employing several strategies to lure tourists to
India in the form of sights and scenic beauty, conducting state-wise campaigns, employing
background music so on and so forth. The survey results reflect that the catchiest aspect about
the campaign among respondents is ‘the sights and the scenes’ which constitutes 49% of the
responses.

According to the survey the most important factors that attract tourists to India are natural
beauty and historical places .India with its diverse culture and unique landscapes is blessed with
the Himalayas on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other side. It also has the rich heritage
of forts, palaces and different historical structures which allure the tourists the most.
Tourists are least interested in viewing India as a destination for Educational and Scientific
opportunities.

Whereas the most dissuading factor for the foreign or the domestic tourists are the safety
concerns at the tourist spots, poor facilities and services. India is one of the most vulnerable
places for terrorism and hence tourists are very afraid of coming to India for vacations. Other
than that another important factor is the lack of adequate infrastructure which leads to very
poor facilities and services.

One interesting aspect was that the least important factor came out to be the presence of tout
or the middlemen. Usually they always create a menace and have been a big deterrent for the
tourists.

Now when it comes to reaching out to the masses the television or the audio-visual medium is
the favourite choice for the people garnering a 28% vote. In this era of cyber communication
Internet has been a close second with 24% of the votes. The print media, radio and word of
mouth, all have got a fair share of the votes though.

The most important measure suggested by the voters for the campaign’s improvement is to
recruit and employ more competent personnel in the Tourism Industry. However involvement

45
of the Private sector and spread of the Campaign through word of mouth both came a close
second with 21% of the voters going for them.
India should really focus on the heritage tourism sector as people find it the most important
factor to focus on; it got a 27% majority vote. Second comes Eco tourism with 23% and 3 rd
comes the Adventure Tourism with 21% of the votes.
Some of the Special Comments that are worth mentioning are the following:
“Tourism reflects the culture of a country. India has got wide range of places of varied
interests reflecting diversity in culture. All we need to do is consolidate our resources to
best possible use. People can bring a difference to this. The attitude should be first that
of hospitality and then of filling pockets.”
“The campaign looks promising and very interesting. I would suggest displaying the
name of the places on screen shown in the commercial so it looks more authentic and
gives a cue to the audience on where to begin with, for their tour to India.”
“1) Increase awareness about the campaign 2) Along with state based campaigns (eg.
Madhya Pradesh, TN etc), more area based ones, as in the case of North East. 3)
Advertise the tourism package options. 4) Ensure high Quality of Service to tourists who
actually tour, influenced by the campaigns & enhance their experience. 5) Provide
tourist package options for different economic segments.”
“Have to create awareness among rural people because India has rural population more
since they do not have much idea of internet some camps to be arranged to give them
the enough information. Plastic should be banned in those areas. Preference should be
given to "Timely cleanliness".”
“Rural tourism has huge potential as that concept is something very unique and viable
for India. Also medical tourism, although we are only able to attract very few due to
inefficient infrastructure, but has huge potential as study shows it fetches maximum
revenue. Another important field to be tapped should be MICE in which US is the leader
and China is also a leader in Asia apart from Singapore and Hong Kong. Eco tourism with
alternative therapy again has particularly huge potential in India due to exotic locations
and therapies like herbal SPA and Yoga. Incredible India running in 11 countries as of

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 now is able to reach a certain level but need more aggressive campaigns in domestic
market.”
“Promote and spread the true Indian spirit everywhere...its historical monuments, its
natural beauty, its multi-cultural values and warmth which is omnipresent in each and
every Indian’s heart. Campaign INDIA in a manner that makes us PROUD INDIANS and
fills the viewer with an insatiable desire to visit and experience the value of INDIA-the
queen of the world.”
“It could be more effective if more effective channels of communication are used to
promote it. Also just devising a campaign does not end the work of promoting and
marketing, it needs to spill over in the ground work too what’s shown has to be followed
in practice through various state tourism departments which is generally seen to be
lacking in India all the time.”
“Some system should be there to gauge the penetration of this campaign. Research
should be done to identify the loopholes, but above all the government should be
actually willing to promote tourism in India leaving behind their selfish political
motives.”

9. Recommendations & Analysis

9.1 Domestic Tourism
Hari Nair, the founder and CEO of HolidayIQ, India's largest travel and holiday
information portal, has given some insights in the field of domestic tourism.
As incomes rise, a very large number of Indians will transit to becoming the "consuming
middle class" and this consumption will be disproportionate and tilted more towards
experience purchases rather than product purchases. Vacation and travel is hence one
of the experience purchases that even the domestic consumer is looking at today.

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 Tourism is already very big in India, for instance take into "pilgrimage travel" alone
constitutes a significant volume. Domestic tourism in its various segments is still not
properly accounted as India has always been preoccupied with inbound westerners.
However travel and holiday information is still in its early stages in India as compared to
other countries. With increase in travel by Indians, the need for reliable travel
information is set to explode and one key platform to exploit this opportunity is to be a
"trusted advisor". Online collaborations enable travellers to share views and feedback
and this is one area that is becoming a trend as the internet user base in India increases
and becomes more broad-based.

As Hari observes, 2 emerging trends in the domestic sector are: -

(I) Growth in short breaks/weekend breaks (as there's less and less time that a person
can spend away from work)
(II) Growth of the small town traveller (this is growing incrementally on an yoy basis)

So Incredible India should look at a more aggressive campaigning strategy in the

domestic market as well in terms of not only exploring new destinations but also
creating brand awareness among the growing segment of domestic tourists.

9.2 Building Tourism Friendly Environment to look at Repeat

Tourists through exploring PPPs
As the numbers show poor facilities and infrastructure are one of the most significant
factors that defame India as a tourist destination
A survey conducted by Gallup, at the behest of the Ministry of Tourism, in 13 major
source markets in October-November 2006 reveals certain important factors. The
survey says that the major concerns about India were cleanliness and hygiene, safety
and security, transportation, promotional support (it’s more of a concern that travel

48
agents have) and affordability, which is mainly because of the unrealistically high room
rates of Indian five-star hotels.

Likewise, a Synovate survey for CNN, also reported that though India scored high in
cultural terms, it ranked very low on the tourist friendliness score.

A brilliant campaign can get jettisoned by the ground reality.

(i) The Incredible India story would have been spectacular had the state governments,
together with municipal bodies and industry leaders, addressed infrastructure issues.
E.g.: Agra is a case study of how state governments botch up great opportunities. The
reason why the city of the Taj Mahal hasn't developed as a destination where tourists
stay overnight, which explains why its five-star hotels can be counted on fingertips, is its
inability to develop any shopping attractions to give tourists a reason to stay on.
E.g.: Another city with a great tourism potential, Varanasi, is also a bad example of being
tourist unfriendly because of its poor infrastructure and a short supply of quality hotel
rooms.

Incredible India and the Indian tourism, as Kant points out, is a multi-sectoral activity
that can succeed only if there's healthy interaction between state governments and
private stakeholders in developing the infrastructure and backing it up with marketing
and promotional activities.

(ii) States will have to recognise the employment creation potential of travel and
tourism to give their political backing to higher investments in the development of
infrastructure in tourist circuits.
(iii) Another suggestion is a tie up with corporate for promoting India in terms of MICE in
which US is the leader and China is also a leader in Asia apart from Singapore and Hong
Kong. Companies have a lot of international level conferences and meetings that take
place throughout the year. If the ITB can explore such an opportunity with an MNC, it
could be a huge source of stable revenue considering the fact that the delivery meets

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 the expectations. This can further be exploited through Word of mouth publicity in the
corporate world for the further strengthening of “Brand India”

9.3 Rural Tourism

Building on the tagline “India lives in villages”, tourism ministry has begun a process of
developing a strong platform around the concept of rural tourism and has identified
around 137 locations in various states of India to attract foreign tourists.

(i) There is a need to link the Atithi devo Bhava campaign to rural India because if this is
where the potential lies for “repeat tourists”, then they should receive the hospitality
that is promised to them in the Incredible India campaign. One of the numerous
suggestions that came up in the survey was that “The attitude should be first that of
hospitality and then of filling pockets.”

(ii) The need to create awareness among rural people is all the more imperative as these
people have no access to information through internet. The Government can look into
organizing camps and workshops to give them enough information. The negligible
awareness of the Campaign in Vernacular Newspapers drastically affects the Campaign
success in Semi-Urban & rural areas. Hence, the campaign has to spread itself to these
parts of India to ensure that the tourists are appropriately taken care of

(iii) Tourism in itself is a huge revenue generator and the rural people need to be
informed about the benefits their villages can get through the inflow of tourists.
Another aspect that the Government can look at is a tie up with a corporate like ITC
which has e-choupals reaching out to lakhs of villagers in the country. Awareness
campaigns and spread of information can be aided through such partnerships.

9.4 Medical Tourism

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 According to a study by McKinsey and the Confederation of Indian Industry, medical
tourism in India could become a $1 billion business by 2012. 
Dr Devi Shetty, the icon of healthcare in India mentioned that the total number of heart
operations in all the hospitals in Singapore is lesser than the number at just the various
Narayana Hrudayalayas in Bangalore and Kolkata. 30% of our patients there are
foreigners. There are very few hospitals in the world, which can operate on new born
babies, operate for complex heart problems like reconstructive operation, and provide
homograph lab or valve replacement. The bypass surgery is a common operation, but
the Narayana Hrudayalayas have different surgeons for different specialities. Such
institutions that provide an entire spectrum of services are not available in other
countries, so there is an inflow of medical tourists. The Indian Government should look
at replicating such models in other cities across India not only in the field of cardiac care
but other niche biological segments as well.
Another aspect to look at is getting uniform accreditation among all hospitals so that
foreign patients can go to their choice of hospitals. Accreditation like the Joint
Commission International rating–the gold standard for healthcare means a lot as it
indicates that you are no lesser than other JCI rated hospitals anywhere in the world.

9.5 Eco tourism

Ecotourism is part of the general growth in tourism and reflects increased
environmental awareness and the desire for more authentic natural and cultural
experiences.
India is a land of varied geography and offers several tourist destinations that not just
de-stress but also rejuvenate people. Places like the Himalayan Region, Kerala, the
northeast India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Lakshdweep islands are some of
the places where one can enjoy the true joy of the wealth of Mother Nature. Thenmala
in Kerala is the first planned ecotourism destination in India created to cater to the Eco-
tourists and nature lovers. 

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 With abundant sources of flora and fauna, 80 national parks and 441 sanctuaries for the
protection and conservation of wildlife resources, India has a tremendous potential not
only to attract special tourists but also look at repeat tourists. However, awareness is
something that is lacking in this sector also.
E.g.: Two Sikkim tourism officials represented India in the World Ecotourism Conference
(WEC 2009), which was held at Vientiane, Capital of the Lao Peoples Democratic
Republic from July 15 to 17. The Conference also allowed showcasing of Sikkim’s
ecotourism products and tourism potential to the participants of the conference. Most
delegates evinced keen interest in Sikkim due to its exotic and mysterious appeal and
many were eager to visit the place, the release further said.

(i) Much can be done to market Sikkim and North East India to the ASEAN region as
there is great similarity in natural, religious and cultural backgrounds between
the two regions. In the ASEAN countries there is a lot of private and foreign

participation in ecotourism ventures and activities supported by a very strong

Government policy and funding by UN and other international agencies. This is a
model India can look at not only for the North east region but also for other
unexplored states like Uttarakhand.
 
(ii) The symbiotic relationship between ecotourism and biodiversity conservation –
especially in the light of 2010 being declared the International Year of
Biodiversity needs to be looked at in promoting such places as a part of
Incredible India.

(iii) Sustainability also needs to be looked at through:-

- The help of local community
- Providing a link between local business and tourism and enable local people gain
economically as well.
- Training and education programmes should be instituted.

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9.6 Adventure tourism
According to PHD chamber of commerce and industry, adventure tourism in India has
immense potential and can become the biggest foreign exchange earner in the coming
decade. The revenues generated in the sector, presently around US $91 million, is
expected to reach 20$ billion by 2010. States like Himachal pradesh, Uttranchal, Jammu
and Kashmir and even Karnataka are positioning themselves as adventure tourism
destination.

(i) Change in the target audience - As there has been a boost in the number of domestic
tourists opting for Adventure based holidays, Incredible India needs to relook at its
target audience. It was initially aimed at high end customers in their middle age;
however the trends now indicate a move towards adventure; hence the market strategy
needs to change accordingly so that India appeals to a relatively younger population as
well.
(ii) Creating awareness in domestic markets - Adventure tourism finds a lot of takers in
the domestic segment as well and hence the need to attract Indian travellers through
campaigns can lead to a lot of revenue generation.
(iii) Sustainability – With adventure tourism come a lot of employment opportunities for
the local population in these areas such as guides and equipment selling stores. The
more this concept is propagated and exploited, the better it is economically for both the
Government and the other stakeholders.

9.7 Promotional advertisements

The promotional ads create a tremendous impact.

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 An interesting suggestion that came up in the survey as far as advertisements were
concerned was to display the name of the places on screen shown in the commercial so
it looks more authentic and gives a cue to the audience on where to begin with, for their
tour to India.

9.8 Feedback system

As discussed earlier, a major flaw in the entire campaign that also comes out in
comparison to that of Malaysia’s campaign is the lack of a proper feedback channel.
Tourists coming to India have no way of voicing their concerns to the concerned
authorities. The survey results are coherent with this finding as the people actually say
that Just devising a campaign does not end the work of promoting and marketing, it

54
 needs to spill over in the ground work too .What’s shown has to be followed in practice
through various state tourism departments which is generally seen to be lacking in India
all the time. This can only happen once the cycle is complete form the consumers end
and the ITB actually works upon the suggestions given by the tourists.
With the use of online portals and social media marketing, obtaining feedback should
not be that difficult a task. As in the case of any model, to make the campaign
sustainable, the ministry has to look at completing the circle by implementing what is
promised.

9.9 Customized tourist packages

Currently visitors have an option of choosing from many offered travel plans. However,
potential tourists can't customize their travel routes. The website/ tourist offices need
to be equipped with systems in place so that the tourists can "Customize" the travel

tour for themselves hence ensuring adequate time for planning. Since India is not short
on High-end, inexpensive hotels, lodges & guest rooms, it is quite possible to enable the
Traveller to customize the travel plan and be provided with all possible options of
stay and travel. This will also enable the Travel agencies to build on a suitable itinerary
to ensure tourists' safety as well

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10. REFERENCES
http://www.campaignindia.in/news/w_k_s_incredible_india_campaign_puts_spotlight_
on_die_hard_indophiles
http://incredibleindiacampaign.com/campaign2007.html
http://incredibleindiacampaign.com/indianow.html
http://www.franchise-incredibleindia.com/Promotion-tools.html
http://incredibleindiacampaign.com/campaign2008.html
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15710929
http://www.incredibleindia.org/newsite/atithidevobhava.htm
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=360419
http://hr-hr.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=74959608069
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http://www.articlesbase.com/exotic-locations-articles/incredible-indias-inroad-into-
world-tourism-map-435127.html
http://www.expresstravelworld.com/200712/market09.shtml

56
http://www.livemint.com/2007/11/29183925/Airtel-Golf-Festival-as-part-o.html
http://www.pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page.asp?relid=29373
http://www.blonnet.com/catalyst/2007/04/26/stories/2007042600170400.htm
http://www.indiatravelinsights.org/hari_nair.html
http://www.tq.com.au/news-room/corporate-media/media-releases/index.cfm?
col2Includes=infopieces.dsp_story_full&obj_uuid=128DC374-9EBE-D325-CA6A-
5802D85003FA&appendPageTitle=WANTED%20-%20'Best%20mates%20in%20the
%20World'
http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources/Editorial.aspx?n=57440
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_hinderances_in_development_of_tourism_in_In
dia
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061223051149AABslmf
http://www.recoverdiscover.com/
http://www.123eng.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14598
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Analysis-2008-2012.html
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India.html
http://www.domain-b.com/industry/Tourism/20090129_aamir_khan.html
http://blog.taragana.com/n/india-singapore-sign-joint-action-plan-on-tourism-
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http://blog.taragana.com/n/india-still-gets-fewer-tourists-than-singapore-104470/
http://www.expresstravelworld.com/20090315/market01.shtml
http://blog.taragana.com/n/iit-delhi-to-hone-marketing-skills-at-tourism-ministry-
128685/
http://blog.taragana.com/n/tourism-ministry-holding-roadshows-abroad-128723/
http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services/4343496-1.html

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