By Arun Kumar Das
New Delhi, July 27 (NVI) The Ministry of Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Group-owned Air India Limited airlines to establish a strategic framework to promote India as a preferred global tourism destination.
The move is aimed at strengthening India’s position as a key aviation and transit hub.
The collaboration will leverage the Ministry of Tourism’s destination-promotion initiatives and Air India’s extensive domestic and international network to enhance India’s tourism visibility, strengthen inbound tourism and position the country as a global transit and travel hub.
The partnership is non-commercial, non-binding and non-exclusive, with no financial commitment on either party.
The MoU establishes a framework for collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Air India in areas including tourism promotion, destination branding, content development, international marketing and stakeholder engagement.
They will leverage their digital platforms, global networks and outreach capabilities to promote India as a world-class tourism destination and contribute to increasing international tourist arrivals.
As part of the collaboration, the Ministry of Tourism and Air India will undertake joint global promotional campaigns under the Incredible India brand and explore co-branded marketing and destination storytelling across digital and offline platforms.
Tourism-related content will also be developed and disseminated through Air India’s customer touch points, including its in-flight entertainment platforms.
The Ministry and Air India will engage with State Tourism Boards and other tourism stakeholders to promote destinations across the country.
They will also explore branding opportunities across Air India’s platforms, including aircraft livery, boarding passes and in-flight media, subject to feasibility and mutual agreement.
A Joint Working Group comprising representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Air India will oversee the implementation of the MoU, identify potential areas of collaboration and periodically review the progress of the proposed activities.
The MoU will remain valid for an initial period of two years from the effective date and may be extended by one additional year with the mutual consent of both parties.
The partnership is expected to provide a structured platform for strengthening India’s global tourism outreach, enhancing destination visibility and offering international travellers greater opportunities to discover the country through coordinated promotional efforts.
Returning to Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India Group is in the midst of a five-year transformation programme, Vihaan.AI.
As part of the transformation, Air India has placed orders for 600 new aircraft. In addition to taking new aircraft deliveries, Air India is progressively retrofitting all its legacy aircraft. (NVI)
