Doing away with the long-standing trend of appointing a Bollywood superstar to promote India in the global market, Ministry of Tourism has decided to rope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the mascot for the ‘Incredible India’ campaign. The announcement comes at a time when the speculation of inducting cine star Priyanka Chopra or Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador was rife.
The move was endorsed earlier by Tourism Minster Mahesh Sharma who had called PM Modi the “best face” to promote Incredible India campaign. He said the more tourists had come to India from nations visited by the Prime Minister.
Adding that ministry was not in need of a celebrity to promote India, he had said “The perception about India has changed significantly in the last two years, with Prime Minister Modi visiting a host of countries during the period. So, who else could be the better face for Indian tourism than our Prime Minister.”
The ministry plans to release a video footage of the PM speaking on tourism, in India and abroad, in the past two and a half years. The campaign would also include elements of radio and audio releases and videos where he has spoken on nation’s uniqueness and diversity. The campaign is expected to be released in the coming 45-50 days and the modalities are being looked into. The release will coincide with the peak vacation season to tap more inbound.
It is interesting to note that footfalls into India from countries visited by the PM has actually seen a northward tick. Inflow from countries like the US, Germany, Fiji, Brazil, UK, Myanmar and Australia among others, has witnessed a significant jump after Modi’s visit to these nations. Given PM’s standing and India’s positive image emanating from a strong economic performance in the recent past, this move may boost nation’s attempt for augmenting international tourist numbers.
