The Ministry of Tourism, with its initiatives, like a new helpline number in 12 foreign languages, meet and greet services at the airport, et al. plans to make India a 365-day tourist destination
We’ve all have had those TV moments when we paused every other activity that had our attention and focussed on the screens. Not because Shah Rukh Khan was romancing once his leading ladies with his signature arms-open pose or because a soap opera’s mystery-revealing episode was on. It had been due to the brilliance and the grandeur of India captured and presented in the Incredible India ads. Be it the tranquil or the quirky background scores, or the vast colour palette central to our culture, the campaign ads dazzled and gave us our moment of pride.
The message of Atithi devo bhava (The guest is equivalent to God) has been clearly laid out with the new edition of four new short films, keeping in mind the issues that hinder the inflow of tourists to India.The man behind it all, ad guru and lyricist Prasoon Joshi released the social awareness films which also feature actor Aamir Khan. A Ministry of Tourism initiative, one of the short films has also incorporated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Clean India. A brochure ‘India-the land of Yoga’ to promote Yoga as a tourism production was also released.
Joshi, who has been attached with the campaign for many years now, can also be heard crooning an Uttarakhandi song in the film.Opening with a poem called Mumkin hai, Joshi said “When someone talks about India, the terms used is chaotic, that there is no order but when we say things like Atithi devo bhava, do we really understand the meaning of those wordsIJ A few days ago with the honourable Prime Minister, there was a talk on Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's book Sanskriti ke Chaar Adhyaya which speaks about culture. It was then that I realised that culture lies within us and Atithi devo bhava is a part of culture. A gesture of goodwill by even one individual would resonate throughout the world. Someone somewhere might recall an incident and share the experience with another person and that’s what we’ve tried to capture in these films.
Speaking on the launch, Union Minster of State (Independent Charge) Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma hailed Maldives and Singapore’s tourism initiatives. “Maldives has around 1,200 islands of which 200 are functional but through tourism they’ve reached great heights. Singapore’s artificially created Sentosa Island attracts two crore people every year while we get around 70 lakh tourist every year,” he said.
“The Prime Minister has an ambitious dream of creating a big campaign by incorporating small ideas, be it cleanliness or a message through one of our ads. Our strength is the hospitality we provide our guests with. We want to give tourism a new identity, he further added.He stressed on how India has it all including the majestic Himalayas and the glaciers, North Eastern States’ picturesque greenery, Rajasthan’s golden desert, et al. and of course the spirituality and yoga which India has provided the world with.
“When a tourist visits, we don’t want him or her to go away with pictures of filth. We want him to return with the beauty of the Himalayas, spiritual knowledge and wisdom,” he stated.He further discussed the Ministry’s aim is to create India a tourist destination for 365 days with the help of natural medicinal treatments and of course, yoga for those visiting the country for health care need.
“There is a new tourism policy which will include Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani and low-cost allopathic treatments. We are announcing a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board. It will include private stakeholders, hoteliers, transport operators and medical experts. There are ventures working on it individually, like in Kerala, but we want to give it a more organised form,” he claimed.like Singapore and Thailand, India is an affordable destination for people looking for best medical care at cost much lower than that of developed countries. If the bypass surgery costs `2 lakh here, it'll cost around 15-20 lakh outside, he said.A new helpline number 1363 or or 1800-111-363, in 12 foreign languages, will also provide information and help to foreign tourists. Meet and greet service have also started at the airports where welcome cards are given to tourists on the immigration counter.