New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday launched the Visit India Year 2023 campaign to encourage inbound travel to the country which is currently chairing the G20.
The minister also launched a logo of the campaign that draws inspiration from visual representation of ‘namaste’. The logo represents a “microcosm of the countless stories India holds” — from heritage to gastronomy to our art and our rich wildlife, and its imbibes the country’s philosophy of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’.
In the logo, elements of India’s heritage, its monuments have been depicted, as also modern achievements of India in space and other sectors. It also features the iconic Statue of Unity.
The Tourism Ministry said G20 presidency presets a fantastic opportunity to highlight the country’s tourism offerings. The Visit India Year 2023 campaign is an initiative of the Tourism Ministry.
From showcasing Incredible India visiting delegates to positioning the country as a major travel destination during its year-long presidency, G20 will be the Union Tourism Ministry’s focus area in 2023.
India assumed the presidency of the influential bloc on December 1, setting the tone for the ministry’s calendar this year.
More than 200 meetings will be held across 55 locations, culminating with the annual G20 summit on September 9-10.
The Tourism Ministry is geared up to put its best foot forward and showcase to the guests from different countries the cultural heritage and culinary delights of India.
This year is very crucial for India as it chairs G20, and over 200 meetings will take place at 55 locations, and “over one lakh foreign delegates will visit India this year”, Reddy said after launching the Tourism Ministry’s campaign and its logo.
“Our endeavour will be to showcase our destinations, monuments, culture, festivals to the visiting delegates. A lot of events will be held across India from tourism point of view. Each foreign delegate should return as a cultural ambassador of India, this kind of environment be created, is the vision of our PM,” he said.
Harnessing the momentum created by the “recovery of the global industry”, preferential sentiment from global travellers for exploring India, and building upon the success in growing tourism in India over the years, the ministry is on a “mission to unlock the untapped potential of tourism in India”, making the country a 365-day destination, the ministry said in a statement.
“Encouraging the inbound travel and particularly in the backdrop of India’s G20 presidency, as well as grand celebrations of India@75 — Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Ministry of Tourism is celebrating this year as ‘Visit India Year 2023’. The focus is on inbound travel to India, to highlight varied tourism offerings of our country and showcase them to the global tourists,” it said.
The priorities include highlighting the unique tourism offerings of every state by leveraging country’s richness in culture, heritage, spirituality, natural beauty and focusing on promoting diverse categories of tourism like sustainable tourism, rural tourism, medical tourism, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions) and others.
The ministry said it is geared up to make “great strides” in improving both the infrastructure and other framework conditions impacting the growth of tourism within the year.
To achieve synergies in the ministry’s efforts and requirements of the tourism sector, the Tourism Ministry is working with all the relevant ministries and government agencies, partners, travel and trade industry, state governments and tourism boards, and key stakeholders which have influence and impact on tourism, the statement said.
The ministry plans to unlock this campaign, by starting at home – inspiring citizens into being India’s ambassadors, as well as through citizen advocacy campaigns across the year in the backdrop of the G20 presidency, leveraging the engagements across the cities hosting G20 meetings, it said.
The Incredible India brand will continue to be “leveraged, embellished, and polished” to match the renewed expectations of travellers around the world, officials said.
The plans for the brand to be supported by a best-in-class digital ecosystem are already in action including a reimagined website that will unbox soul-stirring stories across various travel experience categories that show the many hues of India, speaking to all senses with immersive tech-innovations to offer personalised experience for travellers across the world, it said.
Getting onboard partnerships and collaborations that become the voices of Incredible India – global influencers, opinion shapers, industry leaders, experts on culture and history etc. all with a special focus on rural tourism and sustainable tourism with a spotlight on a modern, progressive India and reactivates the MICE segment to a business-ready India, the ministry said.
In the logo, the ‘namaste’ form is “a colourful medley of the vibrant experiences, illustrious heritage, rich culture, sumptuous delicacies, enchanting wildlife, intricate artforms and a lot more that India stands for. Every icon shown in the logo represents India, in its own unique way”, the ministry said.
The ministry said it is excited to kick-start this “global campaign” to bring about immense positive impact in the tourism sector and appeal all related industries, businesses, and authorities to leverage the momentum to showcase their strengths and “help exhibit a spectacle for the world to witness the incredibleness of India”. PTI KND CK
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