Revitalising India’s Nation Brand in the Amrit Kaal: An Analytical Reading of Swadesh Darshan and the Atithi Devo Bhava Ethos

Sanjana Singh; Ram Asrey

doi:10.55524/ijirem.2026.13.3.12

Abstract

India holds a remarkable stock of cultural, spiritual, and natural assets, yet it captures only 0.52 per cent of global tourist arrivals—a share that trails most of its Asian neighbours. This paper answers why such a gap exists, analytically rather than descriptively. Working entirely from secondary data (Ministry of Tourism statistics, UNWTO reports, Press Information Bureau releases, and peer-reviewed branding scholarship), the study triangulates three theoretical lenses: Nation Branding Theory, Destination Image Theory, and the UNWTO Sustainable Tourism–SDG framework. Three complementary analytical techniques are applied: thematic content analysis of policy documents, comparative statistical benchmarking against Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and the UAE, and a structured SWOT analysis. Four constraints recur across the evidence: weak infrastructure at secondary heritage sites, a persistent safety-perception deficit, fragmented digital marketing, and thin public–private coordination. The central argument is that India’s symbolic proposition—Atithi Devo Bhava, together with the Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD schemes—is sound; what suppresses the payoff is a mismatch between what policy promises and what the ground delivers. To close that gap, the paper proposes a five-P marketing realignment anchored in SDGs 8, 12, and 14, targeting high-yield segments: MICE, wellness, and river tourism.

Keywords

Amrit Kaal; Atithi Devo Bhava; Destination Image; MICE Tourism; Nation Branding; Secondary-Data Analysis

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Cites this article as

S. Singh, R. Asrey, "Revitalising India’s Nation Brand in the Amrit Kaal: An Analytical Reading of Swadesh Darshan and the Atithi Devo Bhava Ethos", International Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering and Management (IJIREM), Vol-13, Issue-3, Page No-85-91, 2026. Available from: https://doi.org/10.55524/ijirem.2026.13.3.12