How to bump up Indian tourism 101

We're all familiar with a bit of guerrilla marketing in which to sell a product or service, one subtly badmouths other products or services. A detergent brand, for instance, won't stop at saying how good it is at whitening clothes (that are white to start off with, that is). It compares itself with another brand - pixelated or made up, because no one loves a libel - and comes out the winner. Here's a thought for Indian tourism for Indians, a.k.a. domestic tourism. Instead of coming up with sloppy slogans like Dekho Apna Desh that seem like an invitation to look out of one's living room window, let the USP for domestic tourism for Indians be the simple fact that no visa is required for a bloody good bhraman.

Sure, the list of countries that allow 'visa on arrival' for Indian travellers is getting longer, with Malaysia joining the group from June 1. But let's face it, if immigration counters aren't the worst thing about travelling in general and travelling abroad in particular, then it has to be a close second to bad roads and iffy-to-muffy airline service in Incredulous !ndia. Let's be honest. We've always been jealous of, say, Americans not needing visas to travel to Europe (from next year, though, they will require a document). For Indians travelling in India, we can be 'Americans'. And the good thing is, it's all in the same time zone.