Diu & Daman is looking to promote itself as a viable tourist destination with the help of Ogilvy & Mather, who will be leading the branding blitz for the Indian Union territory, which is located near Gujaret's coastline. Diu is an island situated a good 100 miles across the ocean from Daman, and yet they share the same jurisdiction. It's probably a very complicated situation. Either way, the Diu & Daman tourism centre has managed to raise the budget allocation from RS 550 crore to RS 1,460 over just two years. For those unschooled in international currency, a crore is equal to ten million rupees. Bhupinder S Bhalla, the administrator for the union territories of Daman & Diu, said they will be unveiling a new logo for the territory "In the first week of August,” beginning a campaign that hopes to draw others tourists besides those flocking from Gujarat (a dry territory) for alcohol.
The Diu & Daman tourism department has managed to raise the budget allocation from RS 550 crore to RS 1,460 over just two years
Bhalla took over as administrator of both of the union territories in September 2012 and has spent the last 2 years aggressively pursuing an increase in the infrastructure quality of the UT areas in Diu & Daman, and Dadar Nagar Haveli (DNH). Bhalla recently visited Ahmedabad to unveil Diu's first dedicated cycle track, of which 4.2km has already been built. It's estimated that 7km will be completed by the end of 2014, providing connectivity between almost all parts of the city. Similar projects have also been planned for Daman, and Silvassa, the capital city of Dadar and Nagar Haveli.
One of Diu's beaches
Around Rs 400-500 crore has been spent on upgrading the infrastructure of the area over the last two years, with new roads and bridges, and other projects in the pipeline, including a modern underground sewage and solid waste management system. Silvassa, meanwhile, has seen a Rs 200 crore investment for tourism projects that include Rs 100 crore for a river front project on Daman Ganga.
Bhalla recently visited Ahmedabad to unveil Diu's first dedicated cycle track, of which 4.2km has already been built
Bhalla says he often struggles to make people actually identify the island. He says that most people tend to “Believe that it's near to Goa, while the reality is that it's near to Gujarat." He also admits that there has been little done to ingratiate the area as a tourist destination until now, but now they “Intend to make a serious attempt to develop it as a tourist destination that matches global standards." The purpose of hiring Ogilvy & Mather to help them with branding and promotion is to “Increase the average number of days (that tourists) stay from 1.7 days to 3 days.” He feels that this can only be achieved if the island's infrastructure and facilities are improved. It would appear they're on the right track, but they still have a long way to go.
The Diu & Daman Tourism Department Website
Official Ogilvy & Mather Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. He found the research for this article illuminating as Geography has never been his strong suit. He really wanted to make a “Diu Da Man” joke, but... yeah.
