India’s tourism promotion strategy, as outlined in the recent written reply in Parliament, presents an impressive inventory of initiatives—global roadshows, international trade fairs, food festivals, familiarisation trips, digital campaigns and a long list of domestic programmes. From Dekho Apna Desh and Bharat Parv to Meet in India, India Says I Do and the Best Tourism Villages initiative, the activity calendar appears full.
Yet, beneath this busy surface lies a critical gap: there is no formal assessment of whether these efforts have actually translated into higher tourist arrivals, increased spending or deeper destination engagement.
Promotion Without Measurement
The Ministry itself acknowledges that no evaluation has been carried out to measure the impact of these promotional campaigns. In an era where global destinations compete aggressively using data-driven strategies, this absence of outcome analysis raises important questions.
Tourism promotion today is no longer about visibility alone. It is about conversion—how many travellers were influenced, how many visits were generated, and how much economic value was created. Without these metrics, promotion risks becoming an exercise in repetition rather than progress.
Many Campaigns, One Missing Link
Domestic initiatives such as Dekho Apna Desh and Bharat Parv aim to build awareness and national pride, while international campaigns target MICE, weddings and leisure travel. The intent is sound. The execution is energetic.
But the missing link remains accountability.
For instance:
- Have Best Tourism Villages witnessed a measurable rise in visitor footfall or local income?
- Did India Says I Do convert into a tangible increase in international destination weddings?
- Has Meet in India resulted in more global conferences choosing Indian cities?
These are not critical questions—they are basic policy follow-ups.
Global Ambition, Limited Targeting
India is promoted as a “holistic destination” across multiple global markets, yet the strategy appears broad rather than sharply targeted. There is little clarity on priority source markets, traveller segments or return on investment. In highly competitive tourism markets, clarity of focus often matters more than the number of campaigns.
The Risk of Activity-Led Tourism Policy
When promotion is measured by the number of events rather than outcomes, the danger is clear:
campaigns get announced, festivals get organised, exhibitions get attended—but real tourism growth becomes incidental rather than intentional.
The next logical step for India’s tourism policy must be impact audits, not just activity reports. Knowing what works—and what doesn’t—is essential if India wants to position itself not just as a visible destination, but as a high-performing one.
Otherwise, tourism promotion may continue to look impressive in Parliament replies—
while the real traveller quietly decides to go elsewhere.
