To Mark World Tourism Day, the Ministry of Tourism Unveils the Incredible India Digital Portal and Content Hub

Nitin Konde, Apoorva Bajj

Sep 30, 2024 — 3 min read

To Mark World Tourism Day, the Ministry of Tourism Unveils the Incredible India Digital Portal and Content Hub

On September 27, 2024, World Tourism Day, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, unveiled the Incredible India Content Hub on the redesigned Incredible India digital platform. The Incredible India Content Hub is an extensive digital library with many excellent photos, videos, pamphlets, and newsletters about Indian tourism. A wide range of stakeholders, including tour operators, journalists, students, researchers, filmmakers, authors, influencers, content creators, public servants, and ambassadors, are expected to use this collection.

The new Incredible India digital portal includes the Content Hub, which aims to provide the travel trade (travel media, tour operators, and travel agents) with simple and convenient access to all the information they may require about Incredible India at one location. This will enable them to promote and market Incredible India more effectively. In the Content Hub, there are now about 5,000 content assets. The Ministry of Tourism, the Archaeological Survey of India, the Ministry of Culture, and other institutions collaborated to produce the available content on the repository.

Commenting on this development, Ryan Prazeres, Co-Founder, OneBoard App, stated, "The launch of the Incredible India Content Hub and revamped digital portal by the Ministry of Tourism is a welcome move, especially on the occasion of World Tourism Day. This initiative is a significant step toward enhancing India’s visibility in the global tourism market. With around 5,000 high-quality content assets available, it provides an invaluable resource for tour operators, content creators, and travellers alike, making it easier to promote the diverse experiences India has to offer. However, it’s essential to consider India’s current standing in the global tourism landscape. As of 2019, India ranked 34th in terms of foreign tourist arrivals, attracting about 10.93 million international tourists, while countries like France, Spain, and the United States welcomed over 89 million, 82 million, and 79 million tourists, respectively. This disparity highlights the potential for growth in India's tourism sector."

Incredible India Digital Portal

An all-in-one digital solution focused on tourists, the Incredible India Digital Portal aims to improve travellers' experiences when visiting India. Travelers may find all the information and services they need on the redesigned platform, from planning and research to booking, traveling, and returning home.

Through the use of multimedia content like videos, photos, and digital maps, the updated portal provides a plethora of information about vacation destinations, attractions, crafts, festivals, trip diaries, itineraries, and more. By offering the ability to book flights, hotels, taxis, buses, and monuments' tickets, the platform's "Book Your Travel" function improves accessibility for travellers. In addition, a chatbot driven by AI serves as a virtual assistant for travellers, responding to their enquiries and offering them up-to-date information. Additional features include a guide to visas, airport information, currency conversion, trip operator details, and weather information.

The Ministry of Tourism will keep working to make the digital portal a constant source of inspiration for anyone looking for Incredible India. This includes adding new features, using crowdsourcing to add more content, and collaborating with pertinent organisations and institutions.

India’s Tourism Industry’s Performance in 2024

India's inbound tourism is still far behind other countries' inbound tourism, even if the trend of worldwide tourism is rising and other countries are returning to pre-pandemic levels significantly faster. The most recent industry data indicates that 4.78 million foreign tourists arrived in the nation in the first half of 2024. In contrast, India's outbound tourism is showing a different pattern in the first half of 2024, with a noteworthy 12 percent growth in Indian national departures above pre-COVID levels.

Following the pandemic, some foreign visitors have been discouraged due to health and safety concerns, which have affected their willingness to visit the nation. The difficulties associated with obtaining a visa and following entrance requirements have further delayed the resurgence of inbound tourism.