Narendra Modi "best face" to promote Incredible India campaign: Mahesh Sharma

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi is the "best face" to promote ' Incredible India' campaign, Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma has said, claiming that the country has witnessed jump in tourists inflow from the nations the Prime Minister has visited so far.

Therefore, the ministry does not need any Bollywood face for the campaign to attract tourists from overseas, he opined.

"The perception about India has changed significantly in the last two years with Prime Minister Modi visiting a host of countries during the period. So, who else could be the better face for Indian tourism than our prime minister," Sharma said.

There has been a growth in number of tourist arrivals from the nations where he has toured after assuming office, he added.

Backing the minister's position, a senior tourism ministry official said tourist inflow from countries like the US, Germany, Fiji, Brazil, Australia, the UK, Canada and Myanmar, among others, has witnessed a significant jump after Modi's visit to these nations. However, the ministry could not provide immediately the exact data on the arrivals from these countries.

Sharma's comments came in the background of reports about megastar Amitabh Bachchan's nomination as the brand ambassador of 'Incredible India' campaign not being firmed up after his name figured in the Panama papers.

Actress Priyanka Chopra name was also doing the rounds for the campaign aimed at promoting India as a favourite tourist destination abroad after popular actor Aamir Khan's ouster from it as brand ambassador.

Though it was believed that Khan was eased out of the campaign in January after being associated with it for several years for his remarks on perceived intolerance, the tourism ministry had said he was not hired by the government and that the contract with the advertising agency which engaged him had expired.

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi has also exuded confidence of achieving over 10 per cent growth in foreign tourist arrival by the end of the year.