MAM
Tourism ministry sells ‘Incredible India’ with generous dose of spirituality
NEW DELHI: With spiritual therapy proving to be an attractive proposition for foreign travellers, the ministry of tourism and culture has decided to capitalise on the particular theme in its new advertising campaign released in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East recently. The plans for the new television commercial – based on this theme – are yet to be finalised, and will be on air soon.
The second part of the Incredible India campaign, which was released by O&M’s Delhi office in January 2003, stresses on the popular spiritual amenities which India offers, according to company sources. For the campaign, erstwhile creative director of O&M, V Sunil continues to work as a consultant.
Regarding the campaign, Sunil says, “We have taken forward the same idea of `i’ (which stands for India). But now the focus is on `spiritual India’. Body, mind and soul are a big thing for tourist (opting for India as a destination) and people will come for this. It does not mean that we won’t do other categories but spiritual theme will be the main aspect in the time to come.”
The earlier campaigns have focused on Himalaya, wildlife, yoga and ayurveda.
On the new print campaign, comprising five sets, Sunil says, “The new ads are different – they are very stylish and young in nature. They are unusual with a generous usage of graphics, they are more like campaigns for a sportsbrand. There is propagation of how spirituality is good for body, mind and soul.”
Sunil throws light on a particular ad, “We have portrayed breathing technique and meditation in an Himalayan background, but through graphic treatment, explaining what it does to you.”
On the decision to specifically focus on spirituality, Sunil says, “Let’s take the example of Singapore – there the focus is on shopping, fun and entertainment. Similarly, most people come to Indian for spiritual reasons. That is the big differentiator for India, in comparison to other countries.”
The campaign has been released in leading airlines, news and travel publications such as Conde Naste traveler , Tutotourismo, Geo, Vogue,Tattler, Financial Times and The New York Times.
The ministry had worked on Incredible India campaign for the US earlier this year. The objective was to position India as ‘an unique and preferred destination for tourism’.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
