Abstract

The ‘Incredible India’ campaign, launched in 2002, was a major initiative by the Government of India, to promote India as a tourist destination. The case discusses various aspects of the campaign. It also gives a brief account of the impact of the campaign on the Indian tourism industry. It describes some of the criticisms against the campaign, and elaborates on the opportunities and challenges for tourism in the country. The case ends with a discussion on the future prospects of the tourism industry in India.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of marketing communication campaigns and their components
• Gain insights into the factors that contribute to the success of a communication campaign
• Appreciate the complexities of tourism marketing
• Understand the unique challenges in conducting a worldwide campaign to promote a country as a tourist destination, particularly with regard to the number and variety of stakeholders involved, and their possible responses
• Understand the current status of the Indian tourism industry and to analyze its future prospects.

Keywords

Tourism, Communication campaign, Tourists, Online Campaign, Ministry of Tourism, Infrastructure, Domestic Tourism, Tour operators, Advertising, Tourist receipts, India, Media, Taj Mahal