 "Beyond visual appeal")
I recently came across the new ads launched by the state of Rajasthan with some incredible themes, lovely story line, beautiful visuals and huge repeat value. A campaign that excites, intrigues and merits watching again and again. Kudos to the agency that has developed this campaign and created something remarkably memorable and worth watching again.
However, this campaign also summarises the challenge that India's domestic or international tourism sector faces. India gets only a fraction of the tourists that smaller countries or city-states like Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand receive. India's ranking in terms of tourism arrivals is a lowly 41st.
Let us examine the Rajasthan Tourism campaign to understand more in terms of what ails India's tourism sector. The solution to addressing any problem is to create a memorable campaign that is creative, has huge repeat value and makes one feel like packing one's bags and heading to the place shown. But everything begins and ends with just one element - a campaign. There is no multi-pronged strategy unveiled to drive tourism into the state. The elements of a holistic plan are either never created and if they are, they are never made public.
Let's consider the same Rajasthan Tourism campaign. Apart from an extremely well-executed and brilliant advertising concept, at least the following strategic actions should have been announced:
> Increase in inbound flights to key tourism destinations of Rajasthan: This should cover standard and budget airlines. Similarly, there should be an increase in trains and luxury buses to bring tourists from across the income strata. You see a beautiful location in an ad and then discover that to go there one has to take one flight, one bus and a car ride, all of which are at inconvenient times. This does not allow one to pack the bags and leave immediately. Developing convenient access to wonderful locations has to be done prior to launching a campaign, and it should be announced along with the campaign for those interested.
> Upgrade and addition of hotel rooms in key tourism destinations: It is not uncommon to face the following constraints once one has made up her mind on a destination - a few luxury hotels that are all pre-booked during the holiday season, and if a room is available then the going rate for a stay is five times that of a good hotel in Singapore. Another scenario is where you set your heart on a place, then look up the hotels and find that there is only one circuit house available for accommodation, which was built during the British era but is now booked for babus, MLAs and their ilk for the next three months.
> Segment approach in terms of additional facilities for the tourist profiles sought: People do not come to only see monuments. They are at leisure. For upper-end tourists, this may mean golf courses to tee off, besides luxury hotels. For families, it could mean amusement parks built around historic and cultural themes to visit in addition to the monuments. For the active tourist, it means jogging tracks and outdoor and indoor fitness activities. These need to be planned, built and provided before the launch of any campaign.
> Tourist-friendly initiatives: Do the monuments and the living areas around them have enough of the following - ATMs for cash withdrawal, licensed and reliable forex houses to convert foreign currency to rupees, enough outlets accepting credit cards, certified hygienic restaurants across price points, ample pure drinking water, public sanitation in terms of clean toilets and certified knowledgeable tourist guides? Also, medical facilities and even sufficient power. Sitting in a rundown hotel near a beautiful monument with power outages and not hot water does not make a dream destination for anyone.
> Security - the most important and the most negative aspect of tourism in India: What are the concrete measures taken to enhance security? Inform local and international tourists about these. The biggest fear anyone has of visiting any place in India today is lack of security. From private security to armed guards to amiable English-speaking cops whom tourists can find easily, they are basics to make anyone feel like visiting a place.
> Making visas accessible and easier: How have the visa processes been modified to make them easier, faster and cheaper?
> A real target: No campaign is complete without a real target in terms of number of tourists to be attracted and a clear increase in targeted revenues.
I write this because on the one side I am seeing this lovely campaign which a lot of people are admiring and sharing on media. And on another side, I am seeing a tourism development plan mentioned in another country (Vietnam) that is a revelation. It has concrete measures on development of golf resorts, a cultural event, a half marathon, an amusement park and clear addition of rooms and flights, all articulated. There is no mention of a campaign. Because an advertising campaign is the tail and perhaps a shining tail of a tourism enhancement initiative. It is not the beginning and the end of that drive as practised by tourism boards in India.
Nimish V Dwivedi
Business director, cards and payments, VP Bank-FE Credit
Business director, cards and payments, VP Bank-FE Credit
