A popular advertising campaign communicates the benefits and projects a positive perceived value for the customer. In India, Kerala??God?s Own Country? and Goa??God?s Own Holiday Destination??have been popular campaigns used to promote and demonstrate the customer benefits associated with the location. Advertising did the trick for these two tourist destinations.
Kerala was a relatively unknown destination, as most tourist circles focused on North India, especially Agra and Rajasthan. After the early 1980s, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, the government agency that oversees tourism prospects of the state, laid the foundation for the growth of the tourism industry. Through upland marketing strategy, within a few decades, Kerala?s image got transformed as one of the top holiday destinations in India. The tagline ?Kerala?God?s Own Country?, originally coined by Dr Vipin Gopal, who created the first Web page on Kerala, has been widely used in Kerala?s tourism promotions and soon became synonymous with the state. Marketing is, indeed, alive and well in the world of tourism. In fact, it is on the upswing, and more and more states in India are leveraging advertising to attract tourists. Relevant Web sites are created and promoted. The Web sites provide easy access and, hence, a convenient medium for getting information on the attributes and features of the offerings.
Excerpts from ?Tourism Marketing? by Devashish Dasgupta, associate professor, IIM, Lucknow
