Who doesn’t know of the ‘Incredible India’ campaign – a concentrated effort by the Government of India to promote tourism in the country brought to life by Ogilvy & Mather, which reportedly pushed India among the most preferred tourist destinations in the world. Launched in 2002, in times when many countries were advising its citizens to not to travel to India as an aftermath of 9/11 and the terrorist attacks on the parliament in 2001, the campaign did wonders for India’s global image. But many wouldn’t know of the serendipity that conspired the birth of this iconic campaign.
Speaking at an event in Delhi, former NITI Aayog CEO & current G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant shared the story behind the origins of this campaign and his role in branding India as a preferred tourist destination.
He shared, “I was out of posting for a stretch of seven months when I was posted to Kerala as the tourism secretary – a punishment posting of sorts because Kerala back then was nowhere the tourist haven as it is today. It just had Kovalam beach to boast of. It was the complete antithesis of what a tourist destination should be.”
Kant further noted that he and his team thus worked to revive the history of Kerala and promote it for its roots. “We revived the traditional martial arts, dance forms, the cuisine, ayurveda, got back carpenters from the Gulf countries to reintroduce the house boats, and opened up the backwaters. We promoted Kerala for its pristine best. And within months, we took Kerala amongst the most popular destinations in the world.”
Kant’s efforts caught the attention of then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his principal secretary Brajesh Mishra. On their trip to Kerala, which Kant hosted, Mishra hinted at having him as a part of the central government’s tourism department. And after a few months, Kant joined in as the joint secretary of the tourism department in the central government.
“Mishra had asked me if I would like to be a part of the central government about which Vajpayee joked that if you applied, Mishra would put you in the women and child development department. So I waited a few months and applied to the central ministry and was informed that I would be joining the finance department. But then on an odd Saturday, Mishra called to inform me that they are creating a special position for me in the tourism department as the joint secretary,” Kant narrated.
But soon after he joined, a series of international and national terror activities threatened India’s image. But as big the challenge was, it did not deter Kant from working on reinventing India’s image.
“We followed the same formula that we followed for Kerala; got back to the roots of India. We talked about culture, cuisine, Yoga, art, and a lot more,” Kant shared.
He highlighted that the Kerala campaign became a success because of the active role of the private sector in facilitating the government’s vision. Kant concluded the session by emphasising that for the further growth of thecountry and its soft powers as well, the private sectors will have to play a key role.