Incredible India is the name of an international marketing campaign by the Government of India to promote tourism in India since 2002 to an audience of global appeal. Incredible title of India was officially qualified and promoted by Amitabh Kant, then Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism of the Union, in 2002.
In 2002, the Indian Ministry of Tourism launched a campaign to promote India as a popular tourist destination. The phrase "Incredible India" was adopted as a slogan by the ministry. Prior to 2002, the Indian government regularly formulated policies and prepared pamphlets and brochures for the promotion of tourism, however, it did not support tourism in a concerted manner. However, in 2002, the Ministry of Tourism made a conscious effort to achieve more professionalism in its attempts to promote tourism. It formulated an integrated communication strategy with the aim of promoting India as a destination of choice for the most demanding travelers. The Ministry of Tourism has hired services from advertising and marketing firm Ogilvy & Mather (India) (O & M) to create a new campaign to increase tourist arrivals in the country.
The campaign projected India as an attractive tourist destination showing different aspects of Indian culture and history such as yoga, spirituality, etc. The campaign was carried out globally and received recognition from observers from the tourism industry and travelers alike. However, the campaign was also criticized by some sectors. Some observers considered that it had not covered several aspects of India that would have been attractive to the average tourist.
In 2009, tourism minister Kumari Selja unveiled plans to expand India's Incredible Campaign for the national tourism sector. $ 12 million of a total budget of $ 200 million was allocated in 2009 in order to promote domestic tourism.
In 2008, the Ministry of Tourism launched a campaign aimed at local people to educate them about good behavior and etiquette when it comes to foreign tourists. Indian actor Aamir Khan was commissioned to endorse the campaign entitled 'Atithidevo Bhava', in Sanskrit for 'The guests are like God'. Atithidevo Bhava aimed to raise awareness about the effects of tourism and sensitize the local population on the preservation of India's heritage, culture, cleanliness and hospitality. He also tried to reinvigorate a sense of responsibility towards tourists and strengthen the confidence of foreign tourists to India as their favorite holiday destination. The concept was designed to complement the 'Incredible India' campaign.
In 2015, Bollywood Superstar Aamir Khan, whose comments on perceived intolerance in the country have created a controversy, cease to be the mascot of the government's "Incredible India" campaign, as the contract for it has expired. "The contract was with the agency McCann Worldwide for the 'Atithi Devo Bhava' campaign." The agency had hired Aamir for the job, now the contract with the agency is over. New brand of Incredible India.