Rajasthan Unveils New Tourism Promotion Campaign

By BW Hotelier RAJASTHAN HAS launched a multi-year, multi-modal, multi-narrative and multi-crore global campaign to galvanize tourism in the state with a view to raise the tourist arrivals 50 million mark by 2020. Unveiling the campaign before a gathering of eminent stakeholders, including leaders from across the tourism sector, the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, said (see photo), ’Tourism is the world's biggest industry and Rajasthan with its rich heritage is poised to fully exploit the opportunities the state offers. Tourism has a huge multiplier effect by way of creating direct and indirect jobs, which improves the economic status of people across the state. Our plan for tourism is nested within the broader Rajasthan model of development, which has three pillars ’ job creation, social justice and effective governance.’ The campaign will play an important role in the Government of Rajasthan’s vision of doubling (present 1.5 million to 3.0 million tourists) the footfall of international tourists by the year 2020. In the same period, the Government also aims to increasing the domestic tourist traffic from the present 33 million to 50 million tourists. The evening saw the launch of a new logo and brand identity for the campaign. The campaign also includes a new website and an advertisement Print, TV and outdoor spots which are aimed at attracting both the seasoned traveler and the youth to explore Rajasthan in a whole new way. Raje added, ’This campaign will herald Rajasthan Tourism 3.0. Rajasthan Tourism 1.0 of the 80s was about our landscape, the harsh terrain, and the adventures immortalized by Satyajit Ray on celluloid. The 90s saw version 2.0, with a forward looking vision which included our heritage properties. With Rajasthan Tourism 3.0 we aim to implement an integrated plan that revolves around experience, infrastructure, cleanliness, security and marketing.’ Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Hon’ble Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture, said, ’The scope for expansion of the tourism industry in India and specially Rajasthan is significant. Rajasthan with its rich heritage has enormous potential to attract travelers from across the globe and also create value for investors in the state.’ The launch of a new tourism campaign is in line with the state’s efforts to provide a further boost to the sector and attract more tourists to the state. To achieve this, the state reinvigorated our world famous festivals through PPP model. These include the Pushkar Fair, Desert Festival and Kumbalgarh Festival. New events like the Bhakti Music Festival, Coke Studio, International Photo Fest and International Music Festival have also been added to the annual calendar. Realizing that the tourism sector in Rajasthan has a huge potential to grow, this new campaign aims to increase the number of foreign and domestic tourists visiting the state. Shailendra Agrawal, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Art & Culture, Archeology & Museums, Government of Rajasthan, said, ’Global trends indicate that Asia Pacific’s share in global tourist traffic will rise from 22 per cent to 30 per cent in the next 1015 years. Through our campaign, we aim to attract these travelers to India and especially to Rajasthan. Even a small rise in this traffic to the State will create tremendous opportunities for our state and its tourism industry.’ According to Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director, South Asia of Ogilvy & Mather, which is the creative partner for the Rajasthan Tourism 3.0 campaign, ’Rajasthan Tourism is the campaign I have been waiting for, for the last decade. It is my home state and I think I owe it an impactful and effective campaign. I am looking forward to the exciting times ahead.’ The campaign also focuses on highlighting Rajasthan as a favored tourism destination not just during peak periods but throughout the year. This campaign will also spread awareness about the lesser known destinations that the state has to offer. In the least two years the Government of Rajasthan has focused on strengthening the tourism infrastructure ’ not only through upgrading existing circuits but also by developing new circuits.