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According to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India, in April 2007, around 1.42 million foreign tourists had visited India in the first quarter of 2007 (Q1 2007).
This marked a 14.4% growth when compared to the corresponding period in 2006.
The foreign-exchange earned in Q1 2007 was Rs.910.24 million, a growth of 16.8% over the same period of the previous year.
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These strong growth numbers had raised the hope of another good year for the tourism industry in India. The year 2006 had also been a good year for the Indian tourism sector as around 4.43 million tourists had visited India, which was a 13.3% growth over 2005. More significantly, India was attracting more upmarket tourists, which was in sync with the objectives of the 'Incredible India' campaign that the MoT had initiated in 2002.
The 'Incredible India' campaign was a multifaceted campaign aimed at increasing tourist inflow in India by promoting India as an attractive destination. The campaign was a refreshing change from the earlier campaigns that invariably revolved around the Taj Mahal. Moreover, unlike the previous campaigns, the positioning and communication was kept the same in all the countries.
This campaign focused on aspects that made India unique in the world. The campaign showcased the different aspects of India's rich cultural heritage and history like yoga, spirituality, etc. Efforts to promote medical tourism and rural tourism were also intensified.
As a part of the campaign, a national social awareness program called Atithi Devo Bhavah
(Guest is God) was launched in 2005.
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