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The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) recently unveiled a comprehensive rebranding initiative, focussing on establishing itself as a premier choice for wedding venues, notably The Ashok, one of its flagship hotels. This strategic move aligns with the ‘Wed in India’ campaign led by Prime Minister Modi, encouraging a surge in domestic weddings.
ITDC launched a promotional teaser for The Ashok, presenting it as the preferred wedding venue under the campaign titled ‘India says I do.’ The objective is to tap into the thriving wedding market, with estimates from the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) indicating 42 lakh weddings and an expenditure of ₹5.5-lakh crore in the previous season.
Manisha Saxena, Director General of Tourism, shed light on the Prime Minister’s vision, stating: “When the PM said there should be more weddings in India, he was not only pointing at the fact that more Indian weddings were happening outside of India, but he was also talking about attracting more people from outside of India to come to India and be a part of Indian hospitality and culture.” Saxena expressed optimism, anticipating a surge in wedding requests at ITDC due to the rebranding efforts.
The brand relaunch event in Delhi showcased not only a new mascot and teaser, but also emphasised on ITDC’s commitment to reinforcing regional offices and exploring additional opportunities. Sambit Patra, Chairman of the board of directors, said: “India has become a brand, and so is ITDC. We are rebranding ourselves at a time when we are getting financially stable. FY23 was the most profitable year for us, and post that, we are seeing a 24 per cent year on year growth since then.” Patra sees the rebranding as a means to promote ITDC more effectively.
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With a robust financial performance in FY23, where ITDC posted a revenue of ₹458.08 crore and net profit of ₹60.33 crore, the corporation aims to continue its growth trajectory. The rebranding positions ITDC as not just a hotel chain but a comprehensive solution provider for events and hospitality services. Patra concluded: “This rebranding helps us promote ITDC in a better manner.”
Diversification
Beyond hotel operations, ITDC has diversified into non-hotel sectors, including ticketing, tours and travels, event management, duty-free shopping, publicity and printing consultancy, engineering consultancy, sound and light shows, and hospitality education and skill development, consolidating various services under one roof.
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