Amitabh Kant's Branding India on NAMASKAR Magazine

‘Branding India- An Incredible Journey’ is a beautiful journey encompassing Indian culture, values, geographical beauty & a tradition that has now been imbibed as "Incredible India' the ultimate BRAND created by Amitabh Kant & now he shares his masterpiece creation with his readers. How do you bring a magnificently diverse country- with twenty-eight states, seven union territories, eighteen official languages & 1.12 billion people- under one brand? In what was a complex & a massive exercise, this is exactly what the author, Amitabh Kant, former joint secretary in the ministry of tourism, and his colleagues cutting across various government departments achieved as they put India on the World Tourism Map with their 'Incredible India' campaign. Launched in 2002 when travel to India was down in the dumps- in wake of the destruction of the World Trade Center, The War on Afghanistan & the attack on the Indian Parliament- 'the 'Incredible India' campaign triggered a take-off on Indian Tourism. How did a sleeping giant like India get its act together? How did government departments not normally known for their speed, dynamism or flexibility build & nurture a brand? How did infrastructure keep pace with the demand so that what was promised to tourists could be delivered? This fascinating story, written by an insider, becomes even more relevant today as the India tourism industry again faces a slowdown because of the economic downturn & the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008. Scholarly as well as personal, the book is essential reading for the travel & tourism industry as well as the layperson, an inspiring business case study that shows how even the bureaucracy can be as dynamic as anyone in the private sector.