NEW DELHI: The ministry of tourism and culture has taken another step in its endeavour to promote tourism in the country.

With an objective of positioning `India as unique and preferred destination for tourism’, the ministry had rolled out a `multi-million dollar’campaign titled "Incredible India" in Europe, Asia Pacific region, the Middle East and the US.

The three-month long advertising campaign, launched early this year, shows the numerous facets of India’s cultural heritage and geographical diversity. The campaign has been jointly funded by ministry and Experience India Society, which is an association of travel agents in India.

The print campaign has been created by Ogilvy & Mather, Delhi, while the television commercial has been created by Enterprise Nexus, Mumbai. The media account was handled by WPP Group’s Maximize India. In addition to this, Grey Interactive was briefed to work on the website (www.tourismofindia.com) and acquaint domestic and international travelers with the range of experiences offered through the use of ad banners.

“We have focused on the fact that India has plenty to offer. India is one country with thousands of places worth visiting. It’s a country which has beaches and snow, plenty of water bodies and roads. So it’s a country of tremendous contrast,” says Enterprise Nexus (Mumbai) executive director Anil Sanjeevan.

The television commercial is being aired in Asia Pacific and European countries on BBC, CNN and Discovery. In the US, the commercial is being aired on Travel Channel. CNN has also been chosen for Africa and Middle East.

For print, the renowned print publications in Europe and Asia Pacific such as Conde Naste traveler , Tutotourismo, Geo, Vogue,Tattler, Financial Times have been chosen while in the US, The New York Times is being used.

The ministry will measure the efficacy of this campaign through the hits on its web site and also feedback given to Indian tourism offices in 13 countries.

The spate of unpleasant incidents such as tension between India and Pakistan last year expectedly had its negative impact on the tourist arrivals in the country. The tourism sector continued to suffer as foreign arrivals declined by 7.2 per cent in 2002, following 4.2 per cent negative growth in the previous year.