Focused promotions by MOT

Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, shares that while they are planning to start international campaigning, the current focus is on domestic tourism for which MOT is adopting market-specific promotions.

Nisha Verma

Amongst the many initiatives of the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) this year is the India Tourism Mart (ITM) that is set to be a virtual affair. According to Rupinder Brar, this may well be the first step towards opening doors to foreign visitors.

“We are happy to share that the first virtual ITM is going to happen from February 18-20, and a large participation is expected for the same. FAITH is working with the Ministry on this, and we look forward to the success of it as we are also beginning to open as a country to travel to,” Brar says.

International marketing
The global media plan of MOT is being touted as a critical part of its strategy for international promotions. Brar adds, “Ever since we closed our campaign in March 2020 when travel stopped, we have been reviewing the situation around the world and in India. Now the plan is in place, and we are only waiting for the probability of travel. However, a majority of our source markets are still in red as far as COVID goes.

Fortunately, India has dealt with it well with numbers continuously going down, and as a welcoming country we are waiting to do promotions in our source markets like the UK, USA, Western Europe, etc. Apart from that we are focusing on the Far East, Southeast Asia and countries that are closer home for short-haul flights. In the future, we look forward to leveraging tourists for the venerable Buddhist heritage in the country. As always, Yoga, wellness and Ayurveda will also remain very important. We are increasing our footprint in Africa and Latin America as well.”

Domestic marketing
For MOT, domestic tourism is also an immediate focus area. “COVID has made us and the stakeholders realise the potential of domestic tourism,” claims Brar, adding, “There will be a lot of focus on domestic market promotions in a more organised fashion, which will be a priority area of our campaign this year.”

These will be market-specific promotions. The ADG says that the basic principles of marketing and promotions will remain the same because what might interest a 20-year-old may be different from what may be enjoyed by tourists of another age group. “Hence, it is vital for us to create nuanced promotional campaigns and content in an organised fashion,” she says.

After creating itineraries of unknown places with major industry associations and different states, MOT is now conducting more meetings with local chapters of associations because they believe there is more to discover about India. “Working with associations is a continuous effort. We are already educating everybody about the revised guidelines of the domestic MDA scheme. It would allow the tour operators to do a lot of work with us through domestic promotions. The regional offices have already started doing roadshows.

For such partnerships with the industry, the expenses are taken on by us as MOT and they can collaborate in terms of content, people to be invited, logistics, etc. In fact, the initial thought was that if we in the government will step out and go for these physical events, there will be a lot of confidence amongst people to travel, too. It is also a way of providing support to the industry in these tough times and it adds business, too. Even if you do a small boutique event at a place, you are providing a lot of economic value to that place. We started these roadshows with this thought in October-November, and we are happy to carry on with them,” asserts Brar.

Trade & domestic bookings
With people booking domestic tours themselves online, the role of tour operators in this sector is minimal.

Commenting on the same, Brar suggests, “The cake in the domestic market is so large that there is something for everyone, but every business requires one to be smart. Tour operators need to make good packages, make them more interesting, and that’s where creating innovative, experiential tours is an important need for the domestic market. I don’t see the need to distinguish in the quality of the product that needs to be pitched for an outsider or for domestic tourists. The domestic tourists are equally discerning. Hence, making the experience of tourism unique and customised to tourists is an important part of the drive in the industry.”