A New Year, a new campaign

Claiming the IATO convention instils a sense of positivity, Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, MOT, shares what kind of campaigns and events they are planning in the New Year to make sure that Incredible India’s message reaches a global audience.

Nisha Verma

Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism (MOT)   attended the 36th IATO Annual Convention in Gandhinagar and said the physical event of this stature is a positive sign for the industry. “The fact that the convention took place in physical form after Kolkata in 2019, is a good sign. It brought together people post-pandemic with ideas to drive Incredible India forward. It was a rewarding three days with different thoughts, ideas, and important takeaways. The need for convergence among different verticals was the message of the convention,” Brar said.

2021 wrap-up

She believes that 2021 will be a year of preparedness. “By the time we closed the year, we had opened chartered flights from October 15 and regular flights were to start from December 15. However, that has taken a backseat for now. Meanwhile, five lakh free visas are going out and a story being built around how Incredible India is away from the usual destinations, adding many more to the itineraries. The hotels and homestays have prepared themselves, and the trade is ready. It has been a year of preparedness and of using digital technologies. These are good signs for 2022,” she said.

Prepping for the New Year

Brar said, “2022 should be a year of aggressive campaigns, both digital as well as through roadshows and physical events. It is time for people to come back and visit Incredible India.”

Campaigns galore

She added that MoT is ready with a campaign that would focus on India being a safe destination. “The content is ready. One promotion will focus on India being vaccinated and the other will feature our hotels, staff, cab drivers, airports, roads and shopping malls  communicating that the country is safe to travel in. We will be doing a soft launch on digital mediums initially,” she shared.

She expressed that the most important thing to go out is the message of reassurance. “Also, there is a Namaste Campaign coming up, and details of the same will be shared soon. All these campaigns will power Incredible India, showcase new products, new destinations, locations, airports, highways, inland cruises and lots more,” she said.

Event series

After wrapping up the ITM in Nagaland, MoT is geared up for many more events. Brar elucidated, “We are working on the State Tourism Ministers’ Conference towards January-end in Delhi. On January 25, 2022, we will have a big event at Pochampalli village, recognised by UNWTO for rural tourism. The world’s largest tribal festival, will be celebrated in Mulugu from February 16 to 19. We are going to bring stories and activities such as tribal food and traditions and the like.”

MoT will be organising an event to recognise the women contributing to the travel trade and hospitality in India, added Brar. “The event will be held on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022. This event will be organised to honour the women who make a difference to the country and the industry,” she informed.