b.

Has the Incredible India campaign been successful in positioning India as a tourist
destination brand? Discuss how destination positioning is similar to or different from
positioning of products.
Suggested answer
Incredible India, attempts to capture everything about India. A brand had been envisioned to
market India as one of the best tourist destinations, globally. Good brands could also provide
long-term security and growth, higher sustainable profits and increased asset value. The travel
and tourism sector was one of the most promising and dynamic units, keeping in view the socioeconomic and cultural fabric of the country. Apart from being an employment generator and
foreign exchange earner, this sector also brings with it a sense of national pride.
Measuring success
The Incredible India brand campaign had brought honour to this excellent country by
showcasing the wealth of outstanding facets that our nation had on offer, both natural and manmade. It had enabled India to penetrate global market and reach the targeted consumer through
all forms of media. It had a strong online presence through regularly updated websites as well as
various language portals.
The campaign has enabled India to encourage as a destination of choice to regain market share.
As a consequence of this brand building exercise tourist arrivals run dramatically from 2002
onward and figure jumped from 2.4 million in 2002 to 5.0 million in 2006. (102% increase).
India achieved 36% growth in 2004 in US dollar terms.
The Media campaigns over the years have also increased the level of interest in India and
changed mindset of foreign tourists. It has now established Indias position as the most preferred
destination in the world. The success of the campaigns can be gauged from following
international recognitions received.
The Incredible India Campaign was the winner of 2004 PATA Gold award for best print ad
campaign and 2005 PATA award for best destination (Incredible Taj) marketing campaign.
Conde Nast Traveller, the worlds leading travel and tourism journal, had ranked India among
the top five preferred holiday destinations of the world. Lonely Planet had also selected India
amongst the top 5 destinations, in a survey of 167 countries.
The campaign enabled India to focuses on its authentic India experience & differentiates itself as
a spiritually elevating, culturally enriching and physically invigorating & mentally
rejuvenating destination. It positioned India in the tourism generating markets as desirable
tourism destination and increase Indias share of the global tourism market. Now key overseas
tour operators in the core markets feature India in their tour packages and promote India in their
advertisements holiday brochures, outlets and give extensive publicity in the media.
Destination positioning and positioning of product

Positioning can be described as the process of establishing and maintaining a distinctive place in
the market for an organization and/or its individual product offerings. The objective of
positioning is to create a distinctive place in the mind of potential customers (market). In a
saturated marketplace, products/service positioning is vital for differentiation.
Market position is the process by which marketers create an image or identity in the perception
of their consumers. Positioning plays a very important role in improving the attractiveness of a
tourism destination. It distinguishes one destination from other similar destinations, so travelers
can choose the one that is most attractive to them.
In an activity like tourism where the customers is located remote from the place one is intending
to visit or from the tourism products and services one is thinking to buy, destination positioning
thus becomes the central component of tourism. Creating the proper image becomes an integral
part of marketing. Strong positioning represents one of the best defence against adverse
economic & market conditions.
Conclusion
Brand identity was needed for global recognition and to access and penetrate new markets. All
countries are focusing on their culture and heritage. Tourism was about national pride and hence,
the common man had to value it in the true sense. Therefore Protection, conservation, hygiene,
sanitation, respects for the guests and ultimately responsible tourism needed to come from
within. Incredible India branding had positioned India as a destination for tourists that would
likely to induce investments