Positioning Telangana as an ‘under-discovered’ destination with untapped story-telling potential, the Department of Tourism on Thursday, launched a new digital outreach initiative aimed at leveraging influencers, vloggers and content creators to showcase the State’s heritage, culture and tourism experiences to wider audiences.
The initiative took shape through a ‘Telangana Tourism Creator Meet’ organised by the department, where travel influencers, photographers, vloggers and digital creators from across the State were invited to collaborate with the government in building Telangana’s tourism identity through experience-driven storytelling and social media campaigns.
Speaking at the event, Telangana Tourism Development Corporation (TGTDC) Managing Director P. Gouthami said Telangana’s biggest strength lay in the fact that many of its tourism destinations and cultural experiences still remain unexplored in the mainstream travel space. “There are several tourists visiting Telangana, but the State is still very under-discovered. We want Telangana to become a place where content creators can still discover new stories before anyone else does,” she said.
She added, “Travel today is not just about visiting monuments. People are looking for experiences. Some creators are documenting weaving traditions with artisans in Pochampally, others are cooking with locals or engaging with folk artists. These experiences add depth to Telangana’s tourism narrative.”
Tourism and Culture Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said that tourism promotion was directly connected to employment generation, self-employment opportunities and State revenue growth. “Tourism promotion is ultimately for the betterment of the State. It creates employment and self-employment opportunities while also increasing State revenue, which can support welfare schemes, education, healthcare and infrastructure development,” he said.
Director of Tourism Ranjeet Nayak underlined the importance of story-telling and presentation in tourism promotion, saying destinations connect with audiences only when projected in the right eco-system. “At the government level we have one approach, while creators understand how social media platforms and algorithms work. If both sides come together as a promotion engine, we can do wonders,” he said.
Special Chief Secretary for Tourism and Culture A. Vani Prasad said influencers today carry significant credibility and emotional influence over audiences, often more than traditional advertisements or sponsored campaigns.
The event also focussed on the launch of a new Instagram account for the Department of Tourism. While an existing account managed by the TGTDC primarily promotes its properties, the newly launched account will focus on the broader promotion of tourism destinations, culture, experiences and events across Telangana.
Published - May 21, 2026 07:56 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
