From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Incredible India
Incredible India
However, the campaign also came in for criticism from
some quarters. Some observers felt that it had failed to
cover several aspects of India which would have been at-
tractive to the average tourist. [4]
In 2009, minister of tourism, Kumari Selja unveiled
plans to extend the Incredible India campaign to the do-
mestic tourism sector as well. USD 12 million out of a to-
tal budget of USD 200 million was allocated in 2009 for
the purpose of promoting domestic tourism.
In 2009, the Ministry of Tourism launched a campaign
targeted at the local population to educate them regard-
ing good behaviour and etiquette when dealing with for-
eign tourists. Indian actor Aamir Khan was comissioned
to endorse the campaign which was titled ’Atiti Devo
A 2006 ’Incredible India’ poster in the Indira Gandhi Interna- Bhava’, sanskrit for ’Guests are like God’. Atithi Devo Bha-
tional Airport, New Delhi. va aimed at creating awareness about the effects of
tourism and sensitizing the local population about
Incredible India is the name of an international mar- preservation of India’s heritage, culture, cleanliness and
keting campaign by the Government of India to promote hospitality. It also attempted to re-instil a sense of re-
tourism in India in 2002 to a global audience. sponsibility towards tourists and re-enforce the confi-
dence of foreign tourists towards India as a preferred
Origins of the phrase holiday destination. The concept was designed to com-
plement the ‘Incredible India’ Campaign.[5]
Incredible India title was officially branded and promoted
by Amitabh Kant, the then Joint Secretary under the
Union Ministry of Tourism, in the year 2002. [1] Impact on Indian Tourism
According to spending data released by Visa Asia Pacific4
Marketing Campaign in March 2006, India has emerged as the fastest-growing
market in the Asia-Pacific in terms of international
Tourism is a major industry in India and the Ministry of
tourist spending. The data revealed that international
Tourism launched a campaign to promote Incredible In-
tourists spent US$ 372 million in India in the fourth quar-
dia as a tourist destination in 2002.[2] The phrase "Incred-
ter (October-December) of 2005, 25% more than in the
ible India" was adopted as a slogan by the ministry. Be-
fourth quarter of 2004. China, which came second in the
fore 2002, the Indian government regularly formulated
region, was successful in making international tourists
policies and prepared pamphlets and brochures for the
fork out US$ 784 million in Q4 2005, a growth of 23%
promotion of tourism, however, it did not support
over its Q4 2004 figures. The tourist spending figures for
tourism in a concerted fashion. However, in 2002, the
India would have pleased the Indian tourism ministry,
tourism ministry made a conscious effort to bring in
which had been targeting the high-end market through
more professionalism in its attempts to promote tourism.
its long-running ’Incredible India’ communication cam-
It formulated an integrated communication strategy
paign. [6]
with the aim of promoting India as a destination of
choice for the discerning traveler. The tourism ministry
engaged the services of advertising and marketing firm Appreciation and Criticism
Ogilvy & Mather (India) (O&M) to create a new campaign Travel industry analysts and tour operators were appre-
to increase tourist inflows into the country.[3] ciative of the high standards of the ’Incredible India’
The campaign projected India as an attractive tourist campaign. "The promo campaign is making a powerful
destination by showcasing different aspects of Indian visual impact and creating a perception of India being a
culture and history like yoga, spirituality, etc. The cam- magical place to visit," said Anne Morgaon Scully, Presi-
paign was conducted globally and received appreciation dent, McCabeBremer Travel, Virginia, USA. Average trav-
from tourism industry observers and travelers alike. elers too appeared to find the campaign interesting and
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Incredible India
informative, going by favourable comments on blogs on Management Cases | Case Study". Icmrindia.org.
travel websites Although the ’Incredible India’ campaign http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/
was generally well received, industry observers differed Marketing/
in their opinions on the positioning of India in the cam- The%20’Incredible%20India’%20Campaign.htm#Introduction.
paign. G.S.Murari, Director, Fidelis Advertising and Mar- Retrieved 2011-11-09.
keting Pvt. Ltd. stated he was uncomfortable with the [5] "domain-b.com : Aamir Khan in Incredible India
tagline ’Incredible India’ and was of the opinion that campaign". 65.175.64.197. 2009-01-29.
since India was not a uni-dimensional country like Singa- http://65.175.64.197/industry/Tourism/
pore or the Maldives, using a word like ’incredible’ to de- 20090129_aamir_khan.html. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
scribe India as a whole was not appropriate. [7] In 2011, [6] Webdeveloper (2003-10-16). "The ’Incredible India’
Arjun Sharma, Managing Director, Le Passage to India, Campaign: Marketing India to the World |
stated that the campaign has lived its life and it had to be Marketing Case Studies | Business Marketing
reinvented. [8] Management Cases | Case Study". Icmrindia.org.
http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/
See also Marketing/
The%20’Incredible%20India’%20Campaign.htm.
• India Shining Retrieved 2011-11-09.
[7] Webdeveloper. "The ’Incredible India’ Campaign:
References Marketing India to the World | Marketing Case
Studies | Business Marketing Management Cases |
[1] Branding India : An Incredible Story [Author: Amitabh Case Study". Icmrindia.org.
Kant, Year: 2009, ISBN: 9788172238094 http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/
[2] "Articles - Incredible India Interview". TIMES Marketing/
NEWS NETWORK. 2005-03-22. The%20’Incredible%20India’%20Campaign%20-%20Marketing%20C
http://www.incredibleindia.org/newsite/ Retrieved 2011-11-09.
cms_page.asp?pageid=2746. Retrieved 2011-03-13. [8] "`Incredible India’ campaign has run its course:
[3] Webdeveloper. "The ’Incredible India’ Campaign: Experts". Deccanherald.com. 2011-10-22.
Marketing India to the World | Marketing Case http://www.deccanherald.com/content/199798/
Studies | Business Marketing Management Cases | incredible-india-campaign-has-run.html. Retrieved
Case Study". Icmrindia.org. 2011-11-09.
http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/
Marketing/
The%20’Incredible%20India’%20Campaign%20-%20Marketing.htm. External links
Retrieved 2011-11-09. • Incredible India- Official Information website of
[4] Webdeveloper (2003-10-16). "The ’Incredible India’ Ministry of Tourism, India
Campaign: Marketing India to the World | • Ministry of Tourism, India: Incredible India Theme
Marketing Case Studies | Business Marketing Brochures
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Incredible_India&oldid=460270512"
Categories:
• Tourism in India
• Indian brands
• Tourism campaigns
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