The Indian government is encouraging tourism as a significant source of income and foreign exchange. The Indian tourism ministry formulated a broad policy in 2002 to encourage tourism across India and included it in the government five-year plans. According to ministry of tourism, the policy is attempting to drive the development of tourism in partnership with the private sector, as well as "ensure that the tourist to India gets physically invigorated, mentally rejuvenated, culturally enriched, spiritually elevated and 'feels India from within.'"
An example of the main focus of the government's marketing efforts was the "Incredible India" campaign, which has won awards at several film festivals, including the Austrian Comite International Des Festivals du Film Touristique 2009 Grand Prix Award and the Gold Award at the New York Film Festival. The campaign has been broadcast on television stations all over the world and was featured on YouTube.
While the physical size of India is smaller than that of the United States, it has a history that goes back more than three thousand years. The many different peoples who make up the country and their religions and languages, taken together with the variation in natural settings and wildlife across the country, combine to create a wide range of tourist attractions, ranging from temples to nature preserves.
India is famous for its involved bureaucracy. While the tourism ministry has identified this as an obstacle for the development of tourism, there are still many hurdles to overcome. Recently, it became possible for visitors from a limited number of countries to get a tourist visa on arrival. Visitors from most countries still need to apply for a visa at home. Inside India, the bureaucracy can also be problematic, especially if the visitor does not have an Indian guide who can smooth the path through the many rules and regulations.
India is a federal country and the 29 states and seven Union territories all have their own tourism departments, working together with the central government. However, they do not have a unified policy for tourism, which means that the different states make very different efforts when it comes to tourism development.
