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Nexus of Good: Transforming tourism

The world-class mobile application — 'Dekho Meri Dilli'— is spearheading a digital revolution in the realm of tourism by providing a one-stop solution to tourists, globally

Nexus of Good: Transforming tourism
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It has been amply demonstrated in many spheres of governance that technology can be a game-changer. Technology has also the potential to make life easy for the common man by making information available quite literally at your fingertips. The Tourism Department of the Delhi Government has done precisely that with the launch of the 'Dekho Meri Dilli' mobile application.

Delhi is everyone's city. A city where stories are etched in history with layers of cultures, customs, food, art, craft, people and languages. Dotted with numerous historical forts and monuments, it is a unique city that easily blends the modern with the yore. To celebrate this contemporary and rich tradition of the city in the 75th year of India's Independence, the Delhi Tourism Transportation and Development Corporation (DTTDC), under the aegis of the Department of Tourism, Government of NCT of Delhi, launched this unique mobile application.

Branding Delhi

The 'Delhi Tourism' official app is world-class, providing a new paradigm to the tourism sector in Delhi. In fact, Delhi Tourism is leading a digital revolution in the fast-changing tourism world. Post the Covid-19, after the tourism and hospitality sectors had suffered immensely, this digital platform was a welcome step. It provided a one-stop-shop for tourists, visitors, all stakeholders and people across the globe, in their hands — providing not just easy access to tourism destinations in Delhi but also constructively engaging them. Branding Delhi as a national and international tourism destination is the main idea behind this app.

The app heightens user experience to bring perceptible changes. Not only the food joints and eateries (offering flavours of Delhi) but also the craftsmen and handicraft artisans can use the mobile app in promoting themselves. Business establishments, as also localities, are partnering in renewing their focus on cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in and around their surroundings, making Dilli 'swachh'.

A digital revolution

Foreign and domestic tourists generally face several challenges in getting reliable and complete information about Delhi. Despite many online sites and stand-alone apps, all facets of Delhi tourism, in one's hand, were missing. Multiple visits to tourist reservation counters, fragmented online platforms, absence of online booking of tickets, need for multiple human interfaces, and dependence on friends and relatives for planning itineraries were some of the key issues concerning tourists. There were issues around difficulties in ticket bookings and planning itineraries to 'Discover Jewels of Delhi', absence of google maps to sites and linked metro routes, absence of information for children and senior citizens, absence of digital food guides and transport facilities, absence of information on Delhi's vast, natural landscape and heritage sites, location-based public conveniences, embassy contacts for the global tourist, ease of doing business for local handicraft artisans etc.

When the app was being designed, these very challenges were kept in mind. The importance of user feedback was recognised for any touristic success, and thus, this app focussed on these points. The advanced technology design features like React Native (the fastest hybrid technology platform), seamless integration on IOS and Android platforms with speed, dynamic backend/CMS for timely updates, Google Lens, Live Maps etc. for easy navigation, hosting on Amazon Web Services — one of the best cloud computing platforms — and instant booking of tickets was used to make the public delivery system very responsive and efficient.

Involvement of all stakeholders

This innovation promotes trust and commitment among various stakeholders. These include tourists and visitors across India and the globe (both temporary and regular visitors), tourism ecosystem operators for management and marketing for Ease of Doing Business, the local population in the region (wanting to work in pleasant surroundings), people whose livelihood depends on tourism such as tourist guides, small eating joints etc, hospitality industry, bed and breakfast scheme establishments, accommodation providers like guest house owners, hotels transport and tour operators, students for educational purposes, local entrepreneurs, government departments providing public convenience utilities and infrastructure, and policymakers.

The mobile app highlights the initiatives and achievements of various agencies like ASI, the Government of Delhi, Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Delhi airport, railways, inter-state bus terminals and management authorities of temples/churches/mosques/gurudwaras etc., contributing to institution building. They were already making improvements in their service delivery processes and 'Dekho Meri Dilli' provided an additional opportunity for all to showcase their works. National War Memorial, biodiversity parks, museums, golf courses, spiritual places, redeveloped Chandni Chowk, Dilli Haat at INA, Janakpuri, Pitampura, Sunder Nursery, Agrasen ki Baoli etc. all find a place in the app. A wholesome touristic experience is what one looks for when visiting any city, and the App's 'Delhi through the Lens' feature scans and provides additional information about any place in the city.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) designated World Tourism Day 2021 to focus on Tourism for inclusive growth. And, one of the key aspects of the mobile app is that it is 'all inclusive'. The complete information is not only updated regularly to create happy experiences for everyone but also eases the process of booking tickets online for tourist sites where the online facility is available, without any hassles. Children, adults and senior citizens alike, can look at planned itineraries, specially curated for them, even if visiting Delhi for a day or more.

Demographic and geographical reach

Despite the pandemic and the prevailing fears, the mobile app was widely accessed with a record of 55,100 downloads. Since 'Delhi Tourism official app' was one of the few tourism apps available on both Google Play Store & App Store in COVID 19 times, it had both a demographic and geographical reach.

Currently, standing at a rating of 4.9/5 on Apple iStore and 4.9/5 on Google Play Store, it has created a benchmark in 'Digital Innovation for Tourism'. In terms of demographic reach, 90 per cent of users who downloaded the app belong to Africa, Middle East and India, with over 10% registering from USA, Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Feedback for enhanced service delivery

The app keeps citizen-centric feedback and grievance mechanisms as the most important tool to improve service delivery mechanisms. It has a very distinct way of receiving feedback which makes it different from other existing apps. Apart from user ratings, other relevant components like the usefulness of the app, and the sufficiency and accuracy of the information provided were added to capture the experiences. A suggestion box captures ideas to improve the overall app experience. Feedback is regularly examined and agencies are informed about issues highlighted. Presently, more than 430 reviews have been registered (both foreign and domestic visitors) on the Google Play Store and Apple iStore with over 80 per cent clocking 5-star ratings.

In essence, the 'Dekho Meri Dilli' app provides a spectrum of services to everyone, and promotes the growth of the economy and employment generation, thus contributing to the vision and mission of a truly 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

The initiative was taken by this dedicated team under the inspired leadership of Swati Sharma, Secretary, Tourism and Managing Director, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation is a wonderful example of Nexus of Good that can be replicated by several states to promote tourism.

Views expressed are personal

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