In 2002, the Incredible India campaign was launched on the world stage by the Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture. This multimedia campaign that positions India as a premium tourist destination has since gone on to receive wide accolades in the global tourism industry through its creative and visceral images encapsulated by the iconic brand logo. In this article, I explore the formulation of the Incredible India campaign and analyze a set of images and events linked to its production and dissemination within the last eight years. Through my analysis of the evolving campaign, I argue that these images convey an important aspirational dimension that speaks to a more compelling vision of the nation and its place in the world at this historical moment. I argue that tourism campaigns, like Incredible India, are not only economic tools designed to augment tourist revenues, but they also provide a privileged platform for advancing geopolitical interests through affective and symbolic means.
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