# Business Requirements Document
## Incredible India — National Tourism Portal
### Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

---

> **Document version:** 1.0
> **Status:** Draft
> **Date:** June 11, 2026
> **Prepared by:** Product Design & Management Team
> **Last updated:** June 11, 2026
> **Reviewed by:** [Pending — Ministry of Tourism, NIC, India Tourism]
> **Approved by:** [Pending]

---

## DOCUMENT CONTROL

| Version | Date | Author | Changes |
|---------|------|--------|---------|
| 0.1 | June 11, 2026 | Product Design & Management Team | Initial draft |
| 1.0 | June 11, 2026 | Product Design & Management Team | Complete first draft for design |

---

## TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. [Product Overview](#1-product-overview)
2. [Problem Statement](#2-problem-statement)
3. [Goals & Success Metrics](#3-goals--success-metrics)
4. [Users & Personas](#4-users--personas)
5. [User Journeys](#5-user-journeys)
6. [Scope — Page & Screen Inventory](#6-scope--page--screen-inventory)
7. [Functional Requirements](#7-functional-requirements)
8. [Non-Functional Requirements](#8-non-functional-requirements)
9. [Content Requirements](#9-content-requirements)
10. [Integration Requirements](#10-integration-requirements)
11. [Design & Brand Requirements](#11-design--brand-requirements)
12. [Accessibility Requirements](#12-accessibility-requirements)
13. [Constraints](#13-constraints)
14. [Risks](#14-risks)
15. [Open Questions](#15-open-questions)
16. [Timeline & Milestones](#16-timeline--milestones)
17. [Appendix](#17-appendix)

---

## 1. PRODUCT OVERVIEW

### 1.1 Product Identity

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Product name** | Incredible India — National Tourism Portal |
| **Parent organisation** | India Tourism (formerly India Tourism Development Corporation) |
| **Ministry / department** | Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| **Product type** | Citizen-facing informational + service portal |
| **Primary URL / domain** | https://www.incredibleindia.org (revamp of existing) |
| **Launch type** | Revamp of existing portal |
| **If revamp — replacing** | Current incredibleindia.org — fragmented, outdated, mobile-unfriendly; also consolidates content currently scattered across tourism.gov.in and state tourism microsites |

### 1.2 Product Purpose

**One sentence — what this product does:**

> The Incredible India portal is India's official national gateway for tourism — helping domestic and international travellers discover destinations, plan trips, find verified travel services, and experience India's cultural and natural heritage.

**What problem it solves:**

> India is one of the world's richest travel destinations but its official digital presence fails to match that richness. Travellers — domestic and international — rely on third-party aggregators (MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, Lonely Planet) for information that should come from the authoritative government source. The official portal is outdated, not mobile-optimised, poorly structured, and does not serve as a credible planning tool, causing India to lose mindshare and inbound tourism revenue to better-presented competitors.

**What happens if this product does not exist (the stakes):**

> India's official voice in global tourism discovery is absent. Travellers form their perception of India as a destination from third-party sources that cannot represent the full breadth, safety, sustainability, and cultural depth of Indian tourism. Every year India loses inbound tourist arrivals, foreign exchange earnings, and soft-power influence it could have captured with a world-class digital presence.

### 1.3 Geographic & Regulatory Scope

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Geographic scope** | National + international audience — portal serves both domestic travellers (within India) and international travellers planning visits to India |
| **Regulatory frameworks** | GIGW 3.0, WCAG 2.1 AA, CERT-In, MeitY web policy, NIC hosting policy, RTI Act, Personal Data Protection Bill compliance, data localisation requirements |
| **Government scheme / programme** | Swadesh Darshan 2.0, PRASHAD Scheme, Dekho Apna Desh, G20 Tourism Working Group commitments, National Tourism Policy 2022 |
| **Must align with** | UX4G Design System, Incredible India brand identity, Digital India guidelines, National Language Policy, GIGW 3.0 |

---

## 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT

### 2.1 Current Situation

The current `incredibleindia.org` portal presents India as a destination through the lens of a 2010-era website — static pages, low-quality photography, no personalisation, poor search, no itinerary tools, and a structure built around government categories rather than traveller needs. International travellers researching India overwhelmingly use TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet, and Google Travel instead of the official portal. Domestic travellers use MakeMyTrip, Yatra, and WhatsApp group recommendations. The portal is visited but not used — it fails to convert discovery into planning intent or booking referral.

Key structural failures of the current site:
- No trip planning or itinerary building capability
- No search that understands natural language travel queries ("best beaches in India in December")
- Photography does not represent the quality or breadth of Indian destinations
- No separation between international and domestic visitor needs
- State tourism content is siloed across hundreds of separate microsites with no unified discovery layer
- No verified service listings (hotels, guides, operators) — travellers go elsewhere for these
- No multilingual support beyond English and Hindi on most pages
- Mobile experience is broken — the primary device for domestic travellers

### 2.2 Pain Points

| User | Pain Point | Severity |
|------|-----------|----------|
| International traveller | Cannot find a reliable, comprehensive, authoritative planning resource — defaults to Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor | High |
| International traveller | Visa information is scattered, outdated, and not linked to the application journey | High |
| Domestic traveller | No discovery tool to find lesser-known destinations near their city — only famous landmarks are surfaced | High |
| Domestic traveller | Portal is in English only for practical planning content; Hindi and regional language speakers are underserved | High |
| Domestic traveller | Mobile experience is broken — pages don't load correctly on 4G Android | High |
| All travellers | Search does not understand intent — "things to do in Ladakh in winter" returns no useful results | High |
| All travellers | No verified or curated listing of hotels, guides, tour operators — no way to trust quality | Medium |
| Accessibility travellers | No information about accessible tourism infrastructure at destinations | Medium |
| State tourism boards | No mechanism to surface state-specific content on the national portal | Medium |
| Travel trade (agents, operators) | No B2B section for industry resources, statistics, and trade tools | Medium |
| Content administrators | No CMS — every update requires NIC developer intervention | High |

### 2.3 Root Causes

- Portal was built around government reporting structure, not traveller mental models
- No investment in UX or mobile design in the past decade
- Content ownership is fragmented — Ministry of Tourism, state tourism boards, NIC, and India Tourism each publish independently with no unified editorial control
- No product management function — the site has been maintained, not evolved
- Photography and media assets are outdated and not licensed for digital use
- No analytics culture — no data on what travellers search for, where they drop off, or what converts

### 2.4 Opportunity

A world-class revamp of `incredibleindia.org` positions India's official tourism brand as the authoritative, inspiring, and practically useful starting point for every traveller's India journey. It can:
- Recapture the discovery and inspiration phase currently owned by third parties
- Drive measurable referral to verified Indian tourism businesses
- Serve as a soft-power asset — the quality of the portal signals the quality of the destination
- Unlock domestic tourism from Tier 2 and 3 cities by surfacing nearby and regional destinations in local languages
- Position India as a responsible, sustainable, and accessible destination for international travellers
- Provide state tourism boards with a national-scale distribution channel for their content

---

## 3. GOALS & SUCCESS METRICS

### 3.1 Goals

| # | Goal | Why it matters |
|---|------|---------------|
| 1 | Make incredibleindia.org the starting point for India travel planning — not a last resort | Currently travellers arrive with trip already planned; the portal should capture the inspiration and planning phase |
| 2 | Increase international tourist arrivals attribution to the portal by 20% | Every international arrival represents significant foreign exchange and local economic activity |
| 3 | Surface domestic destinations to Tier 2/3 city travellers in their language | India's largest untapped tourism market is its own middle class — currently underserved by English-only content |
| 4 | Establish the portal as a trusted, verified source for travel services | Third-party trust can be replaced with government-backed quality assurance |
| 5 | Achieve WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and accessible tourism information | India's commitment to inclusive tourism — including travellers with disabilities |
| 6 | Give state tourism boards a unified discovery layer | 36 states and UTs each have siloed digital presence; the national portal should amplify all of them |
| 7 | Establish UX4G compliance as reference implementation for tourism / service discovery portals | Sets the standard for the category within GoI digital estate |

### 3.2 Success Metrics

| Metric | Baseline | Target (12 months post-launch) | Measurement method |
|--------|----------|-------------------------------|-------------------|
| Monthly unique visitors | ~2M (estimated) | 5M | NIC Analytics |
| Avg. session duration | ~1.5 min (estimated) | > 4 min | NIC Analytics |
| Mobile session share with successful task completion | < 20% (estimated — site is broken on mobile) | > 60% | NIC Analytics funnel |
| International visitor share | ~30% (estimated) | 40% | NIC Analytics geo data |
| Search success rate (query → destination page) | < 15% (estimated) | > 60% | Search analytics |
| Itinerary saves / downloads | 0 (feature doesn't exist) | 50,000/month by month 6 | Feature analytics |
| State tourism content engagement | Low — siloed | +40% state page visits | NIC Analytics |
| WCAG 2.1 AA audit score | Failing | Pass — zero critical failures | Axe + manual audit |
| CSAT / traveller satisfaction | Not measured | ≥ 4.2 / 5.0 | Post-session survey |
| Hindi + regional language session share | < 5% (estimated) | > 35% | NIC Analytics language events |

### 3.3 Anti-Goals

- This portal does NOT book hotels, flights, or tours directly — it discovers, inspires, and refers
- This portal does NOT replace state tourism board websites — it amplifies and links to them
- This portal does NOT issue visas — it informs and links to the official visa application portal
- This portal does NOT manage tourism infrastructure — it surfaces it
- This portal does NOT compete with OTAs (MakeMyTrip, Booking.com) — it operates upstream in the discovery and inspiration phase
- This portal does NOT manage pilgrim registration or religious tourism bookings (handled by separate portals like Char Dham registration)

---

## 4. USERS & PERSONAS

### Persona 1 — Priya Mehta, 31 *(Primary User — Domestic Traveller)*

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Name** | Priya Mehta |
| **Age range** | 28–38 |
| **Location** | Indore, Madhya Pradesh (Tier 2) |
| **Primary device** | Android smartphone (Samsung mid-range, ~4GB RAM) |
| **Device model** | Mid-range Android; uses mobile for all personal browsing |
| **Network conditions** | 4G mobile — strong in city, intermittent on roads |
| **Language** | Hindi (primary), English (comfortable for professional use) |
| **Digital literacy** | Tech-savvy — uses Swiggy, MakeMyTrip, Google Maps daily |
| **Education** | Graduate |
| **Occupation** | Marketing manager, mid-size company |
| **Primary goal** | Discover a 4-day trip near Indore with family for the upcoming long weekend — wants nature, heritage, and something the kids haven't seen before |
| **Secondary goals** | Find trustworthy hotel recommendations; understand what's accessible at each destination; get a rough itinerary she can share with her husband |
| **Emotional state** | Excited and exploratory but time-pressured — planning happens in the evenings between work and family commitments |
| **What success looks like** | "I found 3 destinations I hadn't considered, built a rough 4-day plan, shared it with my family, and booked through a trusted provider — all from one place." |
| **Current workaround** | Instagram Reels for inspiration → Google for information → MakeMyTrip for booking → WhatsApp groups for recommendations |
| **Key frustrations** | Hindi content is unavailable for practical planning; official sites feel outdated and untrustworthy compared to Instagram; no way to find "hidden gems" near her city; itinerary planning is fragmented across 4–5 apps |
| **Accessibility needs** | None stated |

**Quote:**
> "Mujhe koi aisi jagah chahiye jahan bachche khush rahein aur humein bhi kuch naya mile. Par sab kuch Google pe dhundhna padta hai — sarkari site pe kuch hota hi nahi."
> *(I want a place where the kids are happy and we get to see something new. But I have to search everything on Google — there's nothing on the government site.)*

---

### Persona 2 — James Mitchell, 44

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Name** | James Mitchell |
| **Age range** | 38–55 |
| **Location** | London, United Kingdom |
| **Primary device** | Laptop (MacBook) for planning; iPhone for on-trip reference |
| **Device model** | MacBook Pro; iPhone 14 |
| **Network conditions** | Broadband at home; 4G/5G on the go |
| **Language** | English (only) |
| **Digital literacy** | High — experienced traveller; books travel independently online |
| **Education** | Postgraduate |
| **Occupation** | Senior architect |
| **Primary goal** | Plan a 3-week cultural and heritage journey through Rajasthan and MP — first visit to India; wants to understand the full breadth of what to see, how to move between cities, and what to expect |
| **Secondary goals** | Understand visa requirements; find licensed, quality-assured guides; identify sustainable and responsible travel options; understand safety considerations |
| **Emotional state** | Curious but cautious — India is a dream destination but feels complex and overwhelming to plan without a trusted authority source |
| **What success looks like** | "I have a solid understanding of the regions, a rough itinerary, confidence about logistics and safety, and links to reputable operators — from an official Indian government source I trust." |
| **Current workaround** | Lonely Planet India guide (book), TripAdvisor forums, Condé Nast Traveller India features, travel agent consultation |
| **Key frustrations** | No single authoritative source; visa information is confusing; cannot assess quality or authenticity of operators; safety information is absent or vague; the official India site looks dated and doesn't inspire confidence |
| **Accessibility needs** | None stated |

**Quote:**
> "I want to go to India properly — not just the Golden Triangle. But I can't find a single authoritative source that gives me the full picture. The official government site looks like it hasn't been updated since 2008."

---

### Persona 3 — Ananya Krishnan, 26

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Name** | Ananya Krishnan |
| **Age range** | 22–30 |
| **Location** | Bengaluru, Karnataka (Tier 1) |
| **Primary device** | Smartphone (iPhone) — uses laptop for work only |
| **Network conditions** | 5G/4G urban; broadband at home |
| **Language** | Kannada (primary), English (fluent), Hindi (functional) |
| **Digital literacy** | Tech-savvy — digital native; heavy social media user |
| **Education** | B.Tech, working in tech |
| **Occupation** | Software engineer |
| **Primary goal** | Discover solo travel destinations in South India and North-East India — looking for off-beat, sustainable, experiential travel; interested in trekking, homestays, local food |
| **Secondary goals** | Find verified solo-female travel safety information; discover local experiences beyond monuments; find community travel groups or guided experiences |
| **Emotional state** | Adventurous and independent but safety-conscious — wants inspiration paired with practical safety information |
| **What success looks like** | "I found 5 off-beat destinations I didn't know about, got real safety and logistics info, and connected with a verified local experience provider." |
| **Current workaround** | Instagram / YouTube travel creators, Reddit r/indiatravel, solo female travel Facebook groups, travel blogs |
| **Key frustrations** | No official source for off-beat destinations; no safety information for solo female travellers; no local experience discovery; has to cross-reference 6 different sources |
| **Accessibility needs** | None stated |

**Quote:**
> "I want to go somewhere no one in my office has been. But I can't find anything about those places on official sites — only the same 10 forts and beaches that everyone posts."

---

### Persona 4 — Heinrich Weber, 67

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Name** | Heinrich Weber |
| **Age range** | 60–75 |
| **Location** | Munich, Germany |
| **Primary device** | Desktop (Windows PC) + tablet for travel reading |
| **Network conditions** | Broadband — home user |
| **Language** | German (primary), English (good) |
| **Digital literacy** | Moderate — comfortable with email and basic browsing; not a confident internet user |
| **Education** | Retired engineer |
| **Occupation** | Retired; extensive travel history in Southeast Asia and the Middle East |
| **Primary goal** | Plan an accessible heritage tour of India — has mobility limitations (uses a walking stick); wants to know which UNESCO sites and major attractions are wheelchair- and mobility-friendly |
| **Secondary goals** | Understand medical facilities near major destinations; find accessible hotels; understand the best travel seasons; have content that works in large text |
| **Emotional state** | Hopeful but anxious — has always wanted to visit India but is concerned about accessibility; needs reassurance and specific practical information |
| **What success looks like** | "I found clear, specific information about which sites I can physically visit, what accessibility aids are available, and where I can get medical support if needed — in a format I can read comfortably." |
| **Current workaround** | Travel agents specialising in accessible tourism; accessibility travel blogs; email enquiries to Indian consulate |
| **Key frustrations** | No accessibility information on Indian tourism sites; text is too small; no German language support; no way to assess whether destinations are actually accessible before booking |
| **Accessibility needs** | Mobility impairment (walking stick user); prefers large text (18px+ body); high contrast; no fast-moving content |

**Quote:**
> "I have wanted to see the Taj Mahal for 30 years. But I need to know if I can actually get there with my mobility issues before I book a flight."

---

### Persona 5 — Rajesh Nair *(Admin / State Tourism Content Manager)*

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Name** | Rajesh Nair |
| **Role / title** | Digital Content Manager — Kerala Tourism |
| **Primary device** | Desktop (Windows, Chrome) |
| **Primary goal** | Publish and update Kerala destination content, events, and travel advisories on the national portal without going through Ministry of Tourism or NIC for every change |
| **How often** | Daily during peak season (Oct–Mar); weekly otherwise |
| **Technical proficiency** | Moderate — comfortable with CMS tools; not a developer |
| **Key frustrations** | Currently no self-serve access to national portal; Kerala content on incredibleindia.org is outdated and inaccurate; state has to send updates to NIC by email; changes take weeks |

---

### Persona Summary

| Persona | Device | Language | Literacy | Primary Goal | Priority |
|---------|--------|----------|----------|-------------|----------|
| Priya — Domestic family planner | Mobile (Android) | Hindi / English | High | Discover + plan nearby trip | **P1** |
| James — International cultural traveller | Laptop + iPhone | English | High | Plan 3-week heritage journey | P1 |
| Ananya — Solo domestic adventurer | Mobile (iPhone) | Kannada / English | High | Find off-beat + safe solo destinations | P2 |
| Heinrich — Senior accessible traveller | Desktop + tablet | German / English | Moderate | Find accessible heritage destinations | P2 |
| Rajesh — State content manager | Desktop | English | Moderate (non-dev) | Publish + update state content | P2 |

**Primary persona:** Priya — her constraints (Hindi, mobile, 4G, family context, Tier 2 city) set the highest design bar for accessibility, language, mobile performance, and ease of use. Designing for Priya means the product works for the widest possible domestic audience.

**Most extreme accessibility need:** Heinrich — mobility impairment + moderate digital literacy + large text requirement + non-English language. Sets the accessibility and internationalisation design floor.

---

## 5. USER JOURNEYS

### Journey 1 — Destination Discovery → Itinerary → Share *(P1)*

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Persona** | Priya (domestic family planner) |
| **Goal** | Discover a 4-day family trip near Indore and build a shareable itinerary |
| **Entry point** | Google search "places to visit near Indore weekend" → official portal in results |
| **Trigger** | Upcoming long weekend — 4 days off; husband suggests a trip |
| **Exit point** | Saved itinerary shared with family via WhatsApp link |
| **What Priya must feel** | Inspired and confident — "I found something great and I know it's trustworthy." |

| Step # | Priya's action | System response | What can go wrong | Designed recovery |
|--------|---------------|-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| 1 | Lands on homepage from Google | Homepage shows personalised nearby destination suggestions (location: MP) with stunning photography | Location not granted | Prompt to enable location OR show "Explore by state" entry |
| 2 | Taps "Near Me" or "Explore Madhya Pradesh" | Map + card grid of MP destinations with filters: Nature / Heritage / Adventure / Family-friendly | Too many results | Smart default sort: family-friendly, highly rated, 4–6 hrs from Indore |
| 3 | Taps "Khajuraho" | Destination detail page: overview, photography, best time to visit, how to get there, what to do (tabbed), where to stay (verified listings), local food, accessibility info | Page loads slow on 4G | Skeleton loader; critical content (name, hero photo, overview) loads first |
| 4 | Taps "Add to Itinerary" | Day-by-day itinerary builder opens — Khajuraho added to Day 1 | First-time user hasn't saved an itinerary before | "Start a new itinerary" prompt — no account required for basic builder |
| 5 | Adds Orchha, Gwalior to remaining days | Each addition auto-calculates drive time between stops and flags conflicts | Drive time too long for a day | Warning: "This leg is 4 hrs — consider splitting across 2 days" |
| 6 | Switches interface to Hindi | All UI and destination content switches to Hindi | Hindi content not available for some destinations | Show English content with "Hindi translation coming soon" notice |
| 7 | Taps "Share Itinerary" | Shareable URL generated — opens beautifully on WhatsApp preview | Link breaks on WhatsApp | Open Graph metadata set correctly; test on WhatsApp before launch |
| 8 | Family confirms the plan | Priya bookmarks hotel listings to review | Wants to book directly on the site | "Book via verified partners" links — portal refers, does not book |

**Happy path summary:**
> Priya arrives from Google, finds Madhya Pradesh destinations in Hindi, builds a 4-day family itinerary with drive-time guidance, and shares it with her family via WhatsApp — all from her Android phone.

---

### Journey 2 — International Heritage Planning *(P1)*

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Persona** | James (international cultural traveller) |
| **Goal** | Research and plan a 3-week Rajasthan + MP heritage journey with confidence |
| **Entry point** | Direct URL or Google search "India heritage travel official" |
| **Trigger** | Annual leave booked for November — has wanted to visit India for years |
| **Exit point** | Complete destination research done; visa information understood; tour operator shortlist saved |
| **What James must feel** | Informed, inspired, and confident — "India is more accessible than I thought, and I know where to start." |

| Step # | James's action | System response | What can go wrong | Designed recovery |
|--------|---------------|-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| 1 | Lands on homepage | Detects UK IP — shows "Plan your India journey" international entry; prominent photography | IP detection wrong | Language/country selector in header; manual override easy |
| 2 | Selects "Heritage & Culture" theme | Curated theme page: top heritage circuits, UNESCO sites, cultural experiences | Overwhelmed by options | Top 5 curated circuits for first-time international visitors — editorially selected |
| 3 | Explores "Rajasthan Royal Heritage" circuit | Circuit page: map, destinations in sequence, suggested duration, best season, transport options, cultural context | No map loads | Fallback to text-based route description |
| 4 | Checks "Visa & Entry" | Visa requirements page: e-Visa eligibility checker by nationality, fee, processing time, link to official e-Visa portal | Wrong visa info shown | "Information accurate as of [date] — verify at indianvisaonline.gov.in" disclaimer |
| 5 | Looks for licensed guides and operators | Verified operator directory: filtered by region, language, specialty, Incredible India classification (1-5 star) | Too many listings, can't assess quality | Filter by: language spoken, classification, reviews; sort by rating |
| 6 | Saves shortlist and builds itinerary | Itinerary builder with James's saved destinations and circuits | Account required to save | Guest save via email link — no account creation required |
| 7 | Downloads PDF version | Well-formatted PDF of his itinerary with maps, tips, and contact information | PDF is unformatted | PDF generated from a designed template — not a raw export |

**Happy path summary:**
> James arrives from search, selects the Heritage & Culture theme, explores a curated Rajasthan circuit, checks his visa eligibility, finds verified operators filtered by English-speaking guides, and saves an itinerary he downloads as a beautiful PDF.

---

### Journey 3 — Accessible Destination Research *(P2)*

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Persona** | Heinrich (senior accessible traveller) |
| **Goal** | Identify heritage destinations and attractions that are accessible to a walking-stick user |
| **Entry point** | Direct URL — referred by German travel agent |
| **Trigger** | Retirement trip planning — life goal to visit India |
| **Exit point** | Shortlist of accessible destinations and contacts for accessible tour operators |
| **What Heinrich must feel** | Reassured and enabled — "I can actually do this." |

| Step # | Heinrich's action | System response | What can go wrong | Designed recovery |
|--------|------------------|-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| 1 | Arrives on homepage; uses font size increase | Text increases across the site using UX4G accessibility controls | Font control not available | Minimum 16px base; site must scale with browser zoom WCAG-compliant |
| 2 | Looks for "Accessible Tourism" section | Dedicated accessibility section: filter destinations by accessibility level (full / partial / limited) | No accessibility filter exists | This is a P2 feature — minimum: each destination page has accessibility section |
| 3 | Filters for "Full wheelchair / mobility access" | Filtered destination list with accessibility ratings and specific notes | No destinations have this data | Phase 1: manual accessibility notes on top 50 destinations; expand in v2 |
| 4 | Opens Taj Mahal destination page | Accessibility section: wheelchair availability, pathway surfaces, companion facilities, nearest hospital | Section is missing or vague | Minimum required information specified in content requirements |
| 5 | Looks for German language | German language switcher visible in header | German content not ready at launch | Launch with English + Hindi; German as v2 (flagged as gap) |
| 6 | Saves accessible operator list | Operator directory filtered by "Accessible tourism specialist" | Few operators listed | Phase 1: 10 verified accessible tourism operators nationally; expand in v2 |

**Happy path summary:**
> Heinrich arrives, increases font size, finds the accessibility section, filters destinations by mobility access level, reads specific accessibility details for the Taj Mahal, and saves a shortlist of accessible operators — in English as German is a v2 feature.

---

## 6. SCOPE — PAGE & SCREEN INVENTORY

### 6.1 Sitemap

```
/ (Home)
├── /discover/
│   ├── /discover/destinations        All destinations — searchable, filterable
│   ├── /discover/themes              Travel themes (Heritage / Nature / Adventure /
│   │                                 Spiritual / Wellness / Wildlife / Food /
│   │                                 Sustainable / Accessible)
│   ├── /discover/circuits            Curated travel circuits (multi-destination routes)
│   ├── /discover/experiences         Unique local experiences (not monuments)
│   └── /discover/map                 Interactive map-based discovery
├── /destinations/
│   └── /destinations/{slug}          Individual destination detail page
│       e.g. /destinations/khajuraho
│            /destinations/taj-mahal
│            /destinations/valley-of-flowers
├── /plan/
│   ├── /plan/itinerary               Trip itinerary builder
│   ├── /plan/visa                    Visa information + eligibility checker
│   ├── /plan/travel-tips             Practical travel tips (season, currency, health,
│   │                                 safety, etiquette, transport)
│   ├── /plan/accessible-travel       Accessibility information hub
│   └── /plan/sustainable-travel      Responsible tourism guidelines
├── /experiences/
│   └── /experiences/{slug}           Individual experience detail
├── /stay/
│   └── /stay                        Verified accommodation directory
│       (refers to verified partners — does not book)
├── /operators/
│   └── /operators                   Verified tour operator directory
│       (filtered by region, language, specialty, classification)
├── /states/
│   ├── /states                      All 28 states + 8 UTs — tourism overview
│   └── /states/{slug}               Individual state tourism page
│       e.g. /states/kerala
│            /states/rajasthan
├── /events/
│   ├── /events                      National tourism events calendar
│   └── /events/{slug}               Individual event detail
├── /media/
│   ├── /media/press                 Press releases and media kit
│   └── /media/statistics            India tourism statistics and reports
├── /trade/
│   ├── /trade                       Travel trade hub (B2B)
│   ├── /trade/resources             Industry resources and toolkits
│   └── /trade/register              Tour operator / guide registration
├── /about/
│   ├── /about                       About Incredible India and Ministry of Tourism
│   └── /about/schemes               Government tourism schemes (Swadesh Darshan etc.)
├── /contact/
└── /search/                         Global search results page
```

### 6.2 Page Inventory

| Page name | Route | Page type | Primary persona | Device priority | Primary CTA | BRD req. IDs |
|-----------|-------|-----------|----------------|----------------|-------------|--------------|
| Home | / | Landing | Priya | Mobile-first | Discover Destinations | FR-NAV-01, FR-SEARCH-01 |
| All destinations | /discover/destinations | List | Priya / James | Mobile + desktop | View Destination | FR-DATA-01, FR-SEARCH-02 |
| Themes hub | /discover/themes | Landing | James / Ananya | Desktop + mobile | Explore Theme | FR-NAV-02 |
| Circuits | /discover/circuits | List | James | Desktop + mobile | View Circuit | FR-DATA-02 |
| Experiences | /discover/experiences | List | Ananya | Mobile-first | View Experience | FR-DATA-03 |
| Map discovery | /discover/map | Interactive | All | Desktop primary | — | FR-SEARCH-03 |
| Destination detail | /destinations/{slug} | Detail | All | Mobile + desktop | Add to Itinerary / Plan Visit | FR-DATA-04, FR-DATA-05 |
| Itinerary builder | /plan/itinerary | Interactive tool | Priya / James | Mobile + desktop | Save / Share Itinerary | FR-FORM-01 through FR-FORM-05 |
| Visa information | /plan/visa | Detail + tool | James / Heinrich | Desktop + mobile | Check My Visa Eligibility | FR-DATA-06 |
| Travel tips | /plan/travel-tips | Detail | James | Desktop + mobile | — | — |
| Accessible travel hub | /plan/accessible-travel | Detail + list | Heinrich | Desktop + mobile | Find Accessible Destinations | FR-DATA-07, A-14 |
| Sustainable travel | /plan/sustainable-travel | Detail | Ananya / James | Desktop + mobile | — | — |
| Verified accommodation | /stay | List | All | Mobile + desktop | Visit Partner Site | FR-DATA-08 |
| Verified operators | /operators | List | James / Heinrich | Desktop + mobile | Contact Operator | FR-DATA-09 |
| All states | /states | List | Priya / Ananya | Mobile + desktop | Explore State | FR-NAV-03 |
| State detail | /states/{slug} | Detail | All | Mobile + desktop | Explore Destinations | FR-DATA-10 |
| Events calendar | /events | List | All | Mobile + desktop | View Event | FR-NOTIFY-01 |
| Event detail | /events/{slug} | Detail | All | Mobile + desktop | Plan Visit | — |
| Press & media | /media/press | List | Trade / Media | Desktop | Download | — |
| Statistics | /media/statistics | Detail | Trade / Media | Desktop | Download Report | — |
| Trade hub | /trade | Landing | Operators/agents | Desktop | Register / Resources | FR-CMS-05 |
| Search results | /search | List | All | Mobile + desktop | View Result | FR-SEARCH-01 |
| Admin — Dashboard | /admin | Dashboard | Rajesh | Desktop | Publish Content | FR-CMS-01 through FR-CMS-04 |
| Admin — State content | /admin/states/{slug} | Form | Rajesh | Desktop | Save / Publish | FR-CMS-03 |

### 6.3 States Inventory

| Page | Loading | Empty | Error | Partial data | Success |
|------|---------|-------|-------|-------------|---------|
| Home | ✓ (destination cards) | — | ✓ | ✓ (no location) | — |
| Destination search | ✓ | ✓ (no results) | ✓ | ✓ (partial filters) | — |
| Destination detail | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ (no accommodation data) | — |
| Itinerary builder | ✓ | ✓ (empty itinerary) | ✓ | ✓ (some days unfilled) | ✓ (saved / shared) |
| Visa checker | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ (eligibility confirmed) |
| Map discovery | ✓ | ✓ (no results in area) | ✓ (map fails) | — | — |
| Operator directory | ✓ | ✓ (no results for filter) | ✓ | — | — |
| Events | ✓ | ✓ (no upcoming events) | ✓ | — | — |

### 6.4 Out of Scope

- Online booking of hotels, flights, trains, or tours — portal refers to verified partners
- Pilgrim registration or religious site booking (Char Dham, Vaishno Devi — separate portals)
- Visa application processing — portal informs and links to indianvisaonline.gov.in
- Tourism infrastructure management or grant processing
- Individual state tourism board websites — portal amplifies and links, does not replace
- Native mobile applications (iOS / Android) — web-only for this phase
- Real-time travel alerts or emergency notifications (Ministry of External Affairs scope)
- Hotel or operator review platform (referral and classification only)

---

## 7. FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

### 7.1 Navigation

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-NAV-01 | Homepage must present destination discovery through visual, evocative photography — not a text menu | Must-have | Inspiration-first entry |
| FR-NAV-02 | Homepage must offer multiple entry points: By Theme / By Region / Near Me / International Traveller / Accessible Tourism | Must-have | Serves all personas |
| FR-NAV-03 | Every state and UT must have a discoverable page accessible from the primary navigation | Must-have | |
| FR-NAV-04 | Primary navigation: max 5 top-level items using UX4G NavigationMenu mega-menu on desktop; hamburger on mobile | Must-have | |
| FR-NAV-05 | Breadcrumb on every page except homepage | Must-have | |
| FR-NAV-06 | "Back to Top" on all pages exceeding 2 viewport heights | Must-have | |

### 7.2 Forms & Input (Itinerary Builder)

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-FORM-01 | Itinerary builder must allow adding destinations, experiences, and events to a day-by-day plan without requiring account creation | Must-have | Guest itinerary via session storage |
| FR-FORM-02 | Builder must auto-calculate estimated travel time between consecutive destinations and flag legs exceeding 5 hours | Must-have | |
| FR-FORM-03 | Builder must suggest optimal travel season for the selected destination combination | Should-have | |
| FR-FORM-04 | Itinerary must be shareable via a unique URL that renders a beautiful preview on WhatsApp and other messaging apps | Must-have | Open Graph metadata required |
| FR-FORM-05 | Itinerary must be downloadable as a well-formatted PDF | Must-have | Designed template — not raw export |
| FR-FORM-06 | Users may optionally save itineraries to an account — account creation is never mandatory | Must-have | |

### 7.3 Authentication & Sessions

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-AUTH-01 | Account creation optional — all discovery and planning features must work without login | Must-have | Core to the product philosophy |
| FR-AUTH-02 | Optional account via email or mobile OTP — enables saved itineraries across sessions | Should-have | |
| FR-AUTH-03 | State tourism admin accounts via approved login — separate from public user accounts | Must-have | For Rajesh persona |

### 7.4 Search

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-SEARCH-01 | Global search must understand natural language travel queries: "best beaches in India in December", "wildlife sanctuaries near Bangalore" | Must-have | NLP-based search — not keyword only |
| FR-SEARCH-02 | Search results must filter by: Category (Destination / Experience / Event / Article), Theme, State, Season, Accessibility level | Must-have | |
| FR-SEARCH-03 | Interactive map-based discovery — click on any region of India to see destinations within it | Must-have | |
| FR-SEARCH-04 | Search must handle queries in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, and English | Should-have | Via Bhashini integration |
| FR-SEARCH-05 | "Near Me" destination discovery using device GPS — shows destinations within configurable radius | Must-have | With graceful fallback if location denied |

### 7.5 Notifications & Alerts

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-NOTIFY-01 | Events calendar must show upcoming festivals, cultural events, and tourism events by date and state | Must-have | |
| FR-NOTIFY-02 | Users can subscribe to destination-specific updates (seasonal alerts, event notifications) via email — no login required | Should-have | |
| FR-NOTIFY-03 | Travel advisories (weather, safety) must be surfaced on destination pages when active — sourced from MEA / IMD | Should-have | Advisory display only — not generated by this portal |

### 7.6 Data Display

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-DATA-01 | Every destination must have a standardised detail page: Hero photography, Overview, Best time to visit, How to get there, What to do (tabbed by category), Where to stay (verified), Local food, Nearby destinations, Accessibility information, Sustainability notes | Must-have | ~500+ destination pages |
| FR-DATA-02 | Travel circuits must display as visual route maps with destination cards in sequence and suggested duration | Must-have | |
| FR-DATA-03 | Experiences must display as immersive cards with photography, description, duration, difficulty, and booking referral | Must-have | |
| FR-DATA-04 | Destination pages must display: Incredible India classification (if applicable), UNESCO World Heritage status (if applicable), best season indicator | Must-have | |
| FR-DATA-05 | Destination pages must include an Accessibility section: mobility access level (Full / Partial / Limited / Unknown), specific notes, companion facilities | Must-have (top 100 destinations at launch) | Expand to all destinations at v2 |
| FR-DATA-06 | Visa information page must include a nationality-based eligibility checker: select country → see visa type, fee, processing time, link to e-Visa portal | Must-have | |
| FR-DATA-07 | Accessible travel hub must allow filtering destinations by accessibility level | Must-have | |
| FR-DATA-08 | Accommodation listings are verified, classified, and linked to partner booking sites — not booked on this portal | Must-have | |
| FR-DATA-09 | Tour operator directory must filter by: state, language spoken, specialty (heritage / adventure / accessible / wildlife), Incredible India classification | Must-have | |
| FR-DATA-10 | State pages must aggregate: top destinations, featured circuits, upcoming events, state tourism board link, and state-submitted featured content | Must-have | |

### 7.7 File Handling

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-FILE-01 | Itinerary PDF export — generated from a designed template | Must-have | |
| FR-FILE-02 | Media kit download — press-quality photography ZIP + press releases PDF | Should-have | Trade / media users |
| FR-FILE-03 | Tourism statistics reports — downloadable PDF / Excel | Should-have | Trade / media users |

### 7.8 Content Management

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-CMS-01 | Ministry of Tourism administrators can publish, update, and retire destination content, events, and travel advisories without developer intervention | Must-have | |
| FR-CMS-02 | State tourism content managers (Rajesh persona) can update their state page and submit featured content for Ministry approval | Must-have | State-level CMS access with approval workflow |
| FR-CMS-03 | Content scheduling — go-live and expiry dates per content item (critical for seasonal and event content) | Must-have | |
| FR-CMS-04 | Emergency travel advisory can be promoted to a site-wide banner by an administrator within 5 minutes | Must-have | |
| FR-CMS-05 | Tour operator and accommodation listings can be submitted for verification and approved/rejected by Ministry administrators | Must-have | |

### 7.9 Multilingual

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| FR-I18N-01 | Languages at launch: English (en) + Hindi (hi) — full interface and core content | Must-have | |
| FR-I18N-02 | Languages at v2 (6 months): Tamil (ta), Bengali (bn), Telugu (te), Kannada (kn), Marathi (mr), Gujarati (gu) | Should-have | High domestic travel market speakers |
| FR-I18N-03 | Languages at v3: French (fr), German (de), Japanese (ja), Chinese Simplified (zh-CN), Spanish (es) | Nice-to-have | Top international tourism source markets |
| FR-I18N-04 | UX4G LanguageSelector persistent and prominent on every page | Must-have | |
| FR-I18N-05 | Search must accept queries in Hindi and top regional languages — returns English content if regional content unavailable | Should-have | Via Bhashini IndicTrans integration |

---

## 8. NON-FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

### 8.1 Performance

| Metric | Target | Context |
|--------|--------|---------|
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | < 2.5s | 4G mobile — primary persona is Priya on Android 4G |
| CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | < 0.1 | All devices |
| INP (Interaction to Next Paint) | < 200ms | All devices |
| Full page load | < 3s | 4G mobile, homepage |
| Image delivery | WebP/AVIF with responsive srcset | Hero photography is the product — must load fast and beautifully |

### 8.2 Availability & Scale

| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| Uptime | 99.9% |
| Peak concurrent users | 10× normal — major tourism campaigns, long weekend announcements, viral social moments |
| CDN | Mandatory — photography-heavy site requires global CDN for international visitors |
| Recovery time | < 2 hours for critical failure |

### 8.3 Security

| Requirement | Detail |
|-------------|--------|
| Authentication | Optional — email / OTP for account; admin-only mandatory login |
| PII handling | Minimal PII collection; email subscription only; PDPB compliant |
| Cookies | Consent required; analytics only with consent; no advertising trackers |
| CERT-In | Mandatory compliance |
| Data localisation | All data stored on NIC / Indian cloud infrastructure |

### 8.4 Browser & Device Support

| Platform | Browsers | Notes |
|----------|---------|-------|
| Android (Chrome) | Last 2 versions | Primary — Priya persona |
| Android (Samsung Internet) | Last 2 versions | Significant Indian market share |
| iOS (Safari) | Last 2 versions | Ananya persona |
| Windows (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) | Last 2 versions | James, Heinrich personas |
| macOS (Safari, Chrome) | Last 2 versions | James persona |

Minimum supported viewport: 320px. Site must scale with browser zoom to 200% without horizontal scrolling (WCAG 1.4.10).

### 8.5 Analytics

| Requirement | Detail |
|-------------|--------|
| Platform | NIC Analytics or MeitY-approved equivalent |
| Key events | Destination page view, itinerary item added, itinerary shared, itinerary PDF downloaded, visa checker used, operator contact clicked, language switched, near-me search used, theme selected |
| Funnels | Homepage → destination → itinerary → share; Homepage → themes → circuit → operator |
| No advertising trackers | Not permitted without explicit MeitY approval |

---

## 9. CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

### 9.1 Language Plan

| Locale | Language | Script | Launch | v2 | v3 |
|--------|----------|--------|--------|----|----|
| `en` | English | Latin | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| `hi` | Hindi | Devanagari | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| `ta` | Tamil | Tamil | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| `bn` | Bengali | Bengali | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| `te` | Telugu | Telugu | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| `kn` | Kannada | Kannada | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| `mr` | Marathi | Devanagari | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| `gu` | Gujarati | Gujarati | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| `fr` | French | Latin | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| `de` | German | Latin | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| `ja` | Japanese | Hiragana/Kanji | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| `zh-CN` | Chinese Simplified | Simplified Han | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| `es` | Spanish | Latin | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |

### 9.2 Plain Language Standard

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Target reading level | Class 8 English / equivalent in Hindi — accessible to first-time users |
| Tone of voice | Warm, inspiring, authoritative — like a knowledgeable, passionate friend who knows India deeply and wants you to love it too |
| Terminology rules | Avoid government scheme names without explanation; lead with the experience, not the scheme (e.g. "Explore restored heritage circuits" not "Swadesh Darshan 2.0 beneficiary routes") |
| Destination descriptions | Must be written by travel writers or edited to that standard — not copy-pasted from gazetteers or government reports |

### 9.3 Content Types & Taxonomy

| Content type | Owner | Update frequency | Expiry | Archive |
|-------------|-------|-----------------|--------|---------|
| Destination page | Ministry / state boards | Quarterly review | Never | Versioned |
| Circuit guide | Ministry editorial team | Annually | Never | Versioned |
| Experience | Ministry / operator | When operator updates | When operator delisted | Archive |
| Event | State boards / Ministry | Per event | Day after event | Archive at /events/past |
| Travel advisory | Ministry / MEA | As issued | When lifted | Archive |
| Operator listing | Operator self-submit / Ministry approve | Operator-maintained | On expiry of classification | Archive |
| Blog / feature article | Ministry editorial | Monthly | Never | Keep live |
| Press release | Ministry PR | As issued | Never | Keep live |
| Statistics report | Ministry | Annual | Never | Versioned archive |

### 9.4 Mandatory Content

| Content | Required on | Authority |
|---------|------------|-----------|
| "Incredible India" brand identity | All public pages | Ministry of Tourism brand guidelines |
| Copyright notice | Footer — all pages | GoI policy |
| Accessibility statement | Footer + /accessibility | GIGW 3.0 |
| Privacy policy | Footer | IT Act / PDPB |
| RTI information | Footer | RTI Act |
| Page last updated | Footer | GIGW 3.0 |
| Disclaimer on visa/advisory info | Visa page + advisory banners | Legal requirement |
| india.gov.in link | Footer | Digital India policy |

### 9.5 CMS Requirements

| Requirement | Detail |
|-------------|--------|
| CMS | Yes — mandatory; Ministry editors + state board editors with role-based access |
| State editor access | State managers can edit their state page; Ministry approves before publish |
| Scheduling | Go-live / expiry per item — especially for seasonal content and events |
| Emergency banner | Promotable by Ministry admin in < 5 minutes |
| Media library | Centralised photography library with licensing metadata and usage rights tracking |
| SEO tooling | Editors can set page title, meta description, OG image per page |

---

## 10. INTEGRATION REQUIREMENTS

### 10.1 Backend Systems

| System | Purpose | Integration type | Notes |
|--------|---------|-----------------|-------|
| Incredible India content database | Destination, experience, circuit data | REST API | Must be documented before design; legacy data migration required |
| Tour operator classification system | Verified operator listings and ratings | API | Ministry of Tourism's internal classification database |
| Accommodation classification | Classified hotel and homestay listings | API | Ministry's hotel classification database |
| e-Visa portal (indianvisaonline.gov.in) | Link-out with nationality parameter pre-filled | Deep link | No direct API — refer and link |
| Bhashini / IndicTrans v2 | Regional language translation and search | API | Natural language search + content translation pipeline |
| IMD (India Meteorological Department) | Best season data + weather advisories | API | Weather data per destination |
| Google Maps / Bhuvan (ISRO) | Interactive map, destination coordinates, drive time | API | Bhuvan preferred (GoI); Google Maps fallback |
| NIC Analytics | Site usage tracking | Tag embed | No third-party analytics without MeitY approval |

### 10.2 Authentication

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| Public users | No mandatory login — email / OTP optional for saved itineraries |
| State editors | Approved login via Ministry authentication — role-based access control |
| Ministry admins | Secured admin login — separate from public-facing site |

### 10.3 Notifications

| Channel | In scope | Trigger events |
|---------|---------|----------------|
| Email | Yes (launch) | Itinerary share confirmation; event reminder subscription; operator enquiry copy |
| SMS | Should-have (v2) | Itinerary share link; subscription updates |
| Push notifications | Out of scope | |

### 10.4 File Handling

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| Photography upload (admin) | JPG / PNG; min 2000px wide; max 20MB; auto-compressed for web delivery |
| Itinerary PDF export | Generated server-side from designed template; delivered as download |
| Media kit | ZIP of press-quality JPGs + PDF press releases; hosted on NIC storage |
| User uploads | None on public-facing site |

---

## 11. DESIGN & BRAND REQUIREMENTS

### 11.1 Design System

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Design system** | UX4G (ux4g.gov.in) — mandatory |
| **UX4G compliance level** | Full compliance — this product is a reference implementation for tourism / discovery portals |
| **Component library** | UX4G Figma component library (attached) |

### 11.2 Brand Identity

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Brand name** | Incredible India |
| **Parent brand** | Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| **Brand adjectives** | Inspiring, Vibrant, Authentic, Welcoming, Vast |
| **Visual tone** | Energetic/aspirational — India's richness must feel overwhelming in the best possible sense; the site should make you want to pack a bag immediately |
| **Brand rationale** | The Incredible India brand is one of the most recognised government tourism campaigns globally. The portal must match and exceed the aspirational quality of that brand — every screen must feel like a premium travel magazine, not a government notice board |

### 11.3 Colour

| Colour role | Value | Justification |
|-------------|-------|---------------|
| **Primary (main CTA, active states)** | `#E63329` — Incredible India Red | The iconic saffron-red from the Incredible India logo and campaign — instantly recognisable; warm, energetic, Indian |
| **Secondary (accents, highlights)** | `#FF8C00` — Saffron Orange | Saffron from the tricolour and Incredible India palette; warmth and celebration; pairs with red without clashing |
| **Tertiary / deep accent** | `#1A472A` — Forest Green | Represents India's natural heritage — forests, tea gardens, valleys; balances the warm primary palette |
| **Page background** | `#FAFAF8` — Warm off-white | Slightly warmer than pure white; feels like paper, not a screen; complements photography |
| **Card surface** | `#FFFFFF` — White | Clean separation from warm background |
| **Primary text** | `#1A1A1A` — Near-black | Maximum readability; slightly warm (not pure black) |
| **Secondary text** | `#5C5C5C` — Medium grey | Supporting labels and captions |
| **Link colour** | `#E63329` — Incredible India Red | Consistent with primary brand |
| **Feedback — Success** | `#166534` | WCAG-compliant green |
| **Feedback — Warning** | `#92400E` | WCAG-compliant amber |
| **Feedback — Error** | `#991B1B` | WCAG-compliant red |
| **Feedback — Info** | `#1E40AF` | WCAG-compliant blue |

Dark mode: Optional at launch — design system variables set up for dark; activate as v2 feature. Flag as recommendation.

### 11.4 Typography

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Primary typeface** | Playfair Display (headings) + Noto Sans (body) — Playfair for heritage and aspiration; Noto for readability and multilingual support |
| **Heading style** | Playfair Display — Regular or Italic for hero display text; Bold for section headings. Slightly tracked, generous line height. |
| **Body size** | 16px default; 18px for destination detail pages (reading-heavy content) |
| **Regional scripts** | Hindi → Noto Sans Devanagari; Tamil → Noto Sans Tamil; Bengali → Noto Sans Bengali; all others per UX4G token defaults. Playfair replaced by Noto Sans for all non-Latin script headings. |
| **Display text note** | Hero headlines on dark photography backgrounds must have adequate text shadow or overlay for legibility — never rely on colour contrast alone |

### 11.5 Shape

| Field | Choice | Justification |
|-------|--------|---------------|
| **Corner radius style** | Soft (12–16px) for cards and imagery; moderate (8px) for UI components like buttons and inputs | Tourism is warm and inviting — soft shapes welcome exploration. Buttons stay moderate for clear actionability. |
| **Elevation style** | Elevated — prominent card shadows | Photography-heavy cards need visual depth to lift off the background |
| **Border style** | Mostly borderless — let photography and shadows define card edges; subtle borders on form inputs only | Clean, editorial, magazine-quality aesthetic |

### 11.6 Iconography

| Field | Choice |
|-------|--------|
| **Icon style** | Duotone — primary colour + secondary colour layer; warmth and personality over pure utility |
| **Domain-specific icons needed** | Heritage monument, Wildlife sanctuary, Beach, Mountain/Trek, Spiritual site, Wellness/Yoga, Food/Cuisine, Festival/Event, Accessible venue, Sustainability leaf, Train/Rail, Flight, Road trip, Homestay, Luxury hotel, Budget accommodation, Licensed guide, Visa document, Weather/Season indicators (12 months) |
| **Source** | Custom icon set for domain-specific tourism icons built on UX4G base; Lucide React for UI icons |

### 11.7 Photography & Illustration

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Photography style** | Stunning, immersive, diverse — landscapes, people, food, festivals, wildlife, architecture. Editorial quality. Represents all regions of India equally — not only Golden Triangle monuments. Includes women travellers, solo travellers, senior travellers, family travellers, accessible tourism moments. |
| **Photography sources** | Ministry of Tourism official library, state tourism board libraries, Incredible India campaign photography archive, curated licensed photography from approved Indian photographers |
| **Illustration style** | Minimal — flat vector illustration for UI states (empty, error, onboarding) and infographics (visa process, best season charts). Never illustrative in hero contexts — photography must dominate. |
| **Photography — critical rule** | Hero sections must never use grey placeholder boxes. Every destination launched must have at least 3 approved photographs before the page goes live. |

### 11.8 Motion & Density

| Field | Choice | Justification |
|-------|--------|---------------|
| **Motion personality** | Moderate — purposeful transitions that enhance the sense of exploration and discovery | Tourism is about journeys — transitions between states should feel like turning a page or opening a view, not a functional form submit |
| **Signature motion** | Parallax scroll on hero photography (subtle — 20% rate); destination card hover lifts with shadow; itinerary item add with gentle slide-in | Creates premium, magazine-quality feel |
| **Layout density** | Comfortable with generous whitespace | Destination content needs to breathe; cramped layouts reduce desire to explore |
| **prefers-reduced-motion** | All motion disabled; static transitions only | Mandatory — especially for Heinrich persona |

### 11.9 Existing Reference

| Reference | Influence type | What to take / what to avoid |
|-----------|---------------|------------------------------|
| Visit Scotland (visitscotland.com) | Positive | Destination discovery structure, photography quality, editorial tone, itinerary builder UX |
| Tourism Australia (australia.com) | Positive | Hero photography treatment, theme-based browsing, international traveller orientation |
| Airbnb Experiences | Positive | Experience card design, immersive photography, discovery-first layout |
| GOV.UK | Positive | Plain language, task completion for practical pages (visa, travel tips) |
| Current incredibleindia.org | Negative | Do not replicate: static pages, government-category structure, low photography quality, English-only |
| MakeMyTrip / Booking.com | Negative reference | Avoid: transactional density, commercial noise, price anchoring — this is a discovery and inspiration portal, not a booking engine |

---

## 12. ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

| ID | Requirement | Standard | Notes |
|----|-------------|----------|-------|
| A-01 | WCAG 2.1 Level AA across all pages | WCAG 2.1 | Non-negotiable; independent audit before launch |
| A-02 | All photography has meaningful alt text describing scene, location, and mood | WCAG 1.1.1 | Critical for a photography-heavy site |
| A-03 | No auto-playing video or animation without pause control | WCAG 2.2.2 | Hero video (if used) must have pause; parallax must respect prefers-reduced-motion |
| A-04 | Text over photography: contrast ≥ 4.5:1 with overlay — colour of text alone is not sufficient | WCAG 1.4.3 | Use semi-transparent dark overlays; test all hero combinations |
| A-05 | All interactive elements keyboard navigable with visible focus | WCAG 2.4.7 | Map interaction must be keyboard accessible |
| A-06 | Itinerary builder fully operable without a mouse | WCAG 2.1.1 | Add, remove, reorder destinations via keyboard |
| A-07 | All form fields have visible labels | WCAG 1.3.1 | Visa checker, itinerary builder, search |
| A-08 | Error messages describe the fix specifically | WCAG 3.3.1 | |
| A-09 | Skip to main content link functional | WCAG 2.4.1 | |
| A-10 | Touch targets ≥ 44×44px | WCAG 2.5.5 | Map pins, filter chips, nav items |
| A-11 | No information conveyed by colour alone | WCAG 1.4.1 | Accessibility levels (Full/Partial/Limited) need colour + icon + text label |
| A-12 | Site operable and readable at 200% browser zoom without horizontal scroll | WCAG 1.4.10 | Critical for Heinrich persona |
| A-13 | Destination accessibility information follows a consistent, specific template | A-14 | See FR-DATA-05 |
| A-14 | Dedicated accessible tourism hub with destination filter by mobility access level | Product requirement | Serves Heinrich persona; wider disabled traveller community |
| A-15 | PDFs (itinerary export, statistics reports) are tagged accessible | WCAG 1.3.1 | |
| A-16 | Tested with NVDA + Chrome and VoiceOver + Safari before launch | Manual | Include users with disabilities in usability testing |
| A-17 | Language switcher accessible without mouse; keyboard operable | WCAG 2.1.1 | |

---

## 13. CONSTRAINTS

### 13.1 Design Constraints

| Constraint | Detail | Source |
|------------|--------|--------|
| Incredible India brand identity must be honoured | The red-saffron-green palette, the "Incredible India" wordmark, and the brand's aspirational tone are non-negotiable | Ministry of Tourism brand guidelines |
| Photography is the product — cannot be secondary | Every major page section must have photography or an approved coloured placeholder — never a grey box | Product philosophy |
| Must not look like a booking engine | No price anchoring, no commercial density, no OTA-style UI patterns | Brand positioning |

### 13.2 Technical Constraints

| Constraint | Detail |
|------------|--------|
| Hosting | NIC infrastructure — mandatory |
| Domain | gov.in or Ministry-approved domain — incredibleindia.org is already registered |
| CDN | Required — photography-heavy site with international audience; NIC/MeitY CDN approval needed |
| External APIs | Bhashini (approved), Bhuvan/ISRO maps (approved); Google Maps requires MeitY review |
| Open-source | GoI procurement and licensing policy |
| Cookies | Consent-first; no advertising cookies |

### 13.3 Timeline Constraints

| Constraint | Detail |
|------------|--------|
| Hard launch driver | To be confirmed — G20 Tourism Working Group milestones, major tourism campaign launches, or fiscal year |
| Photography blackout | No major destination page launches without 3 approved photographs |
| State content | State boards require 60-day lead time for content review and approval |

### 13.4 Content Constraints

| Constraint | Detail |
|------------|--------|
| Destination content scale | ~500+ destinations need pages — phased approach: top 100 at launch, remainder in v2 |
| Photography licensing | Existing photography in Ministry library may have limited digital licensing; audit required in Phase 0 |
| State-submitted content | Must go through Ministry editorial review — cannot be published unilaterally by state boards |
| Operator listings | Only Incredible India classified operators eligible for listing at launch |

---

## 14. RISKS

| ID | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | Owner |
|----|------|-----------|--------|------------|-------|
| R-01 | Photography library insufficient in quality or licensing for a premium portal | High | Critical | Photography audit in Phase 0; commission new photography for top 50 destinations; define licensing requirements immediately | Content lead |
| R-02 | Content at scale — 500+ destination pages cannot be written by launch | High | High | Launch top 100 destinations; CMS for state board self-serve; commission content writers per state | Content lead |
| R-03 | Bhashini regional language search quality insufficient for natural language queries | Medium | High | Pilot Hindi search first; fallback to English results with a notice; refine in v2 | Tech lead |
| R-04 | Bhuvan/ISRO map API cannot match Google Maps quality for travel use cases | Medium | Medium | Evaluate both in Phase 0; hybrid approach or MeitY Google Maps approval | Tech lead |
| R-05 | State tourism boards do not participate in content contribution | Medium | High | MoU between Ministry and state boards; dedicated onboarding for state editors; incentivise participation | PM / Ministry |
| R-06 | Itinerary builder drive-time calculation accuracy is poor for Indian roads | Medium | Medium | Use conservative estimates; add disclaimer; allow manual override | Tech lead |
| R-07 | Photography performance — high-resolution images slow site on 4G | High | High | WebP/AVIF mandatory; responsive srcset; CDN; lazy loading; LCP < 2.5s performance budget | Tech lead |
| R-08 | Operator classification data is incomplete or not API-accessible | Medium | Medium | Manual import of top 500 operators at launch; API integration in v2 | Tech lead |
| R-09 | Visa information becomes inaccurate between updates | Medium | High | Prominent disclaimer on all visa content; content expiry alerts to editors | Content lead |
| R-10 | Typeface (Playfair Display) not approved within UX4G compliance | Medium | Medium | Resolve Q-06 in Phase 0; fallback is Noto Sans with bold display sizing | Design lead |

---

## 15. OPEN QUESTIONS

| ID | Question | Impact on design | Priority | Owner | Due date | Resolution |
|----|----------|-----------------|----------|-------|----------|------------|
| Q-01 | What is the photography licensing situation — can existing Ministry library assets be used on the new portal? | Determines whether design can use real photography or must use placeholders | P1 | Content lead + Ministry legal | Phase 0 | |
| Q-02 | Is Bhuvan (ISRO) map API suitable for the interactive map and drive-time features, or does this require Google Maps with MeitY approval? | Affects map discovery and itinerary builder design | P1 | Tech lead | Phase 0 | |
| Q-03 | Which CMS platform has NIC/MeitY approval for a content-heavy portal at this scale? | Admin interface and state editor workflow depends on CMS capability | P1 | Tech lead + NIC | Phase 0 | |
| Q-04 | What is the hard launch date or campaign milestone driving the timeline? | Sets phased content strategy and feature prioritisation | P1 | Ministry + PM | Phase 0 | |
| Q-05 | Are operator classification and hotel classification databases accessible via API, or is manual data import needed at launch? | Affects operator and accommodation directory design and scale | P1 | Tech lead + Ministry | Phase 0 | |
| Q-06 | Is Playfair Display approved for use as a display typeface within UX4G compliance, or must the portal use Noto Sans exclusively? | Affects all typography design decisions | P1 | UX4G team | Phase 1 | |
| Q-07 | What is the editorial capacity to write or commission destination content? | Determines whether top-100 launch target is realistic | P2 | Ministry content team | Phase 0 | |
| Q-08 | Should the itinerary builder require an account for saving across sessions, or is a guest-session model (email link) sufficient? | Affects authentication design and data architecture | P2 | PM | Phase 1 | |
| Q-09 | Is dark mode required at launch or can it be a v2 recommendation? | Affects design scope | P2 | Ministry + PM | Phase 1 | |
| Q-10 | How is "verified" defined for accommodation and operator listings — Incredible India classification only, or broader? | Determines directory scope and listing volume at launch | P2 | Ministry standards team | Phase 1 | |
| Q-11 | Who audits and provides accessibility data for destination-level accessibility information? | Determines feasibility of accessibility filter at launch | P2 | Ministry / state boards | Phase 1 | |

---

## 16. TIMELINE & MILESTONES

| Phase | Duration | Key deliverables | Dependencies |
|-------|----------|-----------------|-------------|
| **0 — Discovery** | 5 weeks | Photography audit; CMS platform selection; API discovery; content audit; analytics baseline; Q-01 to Q-05 resolved; competitor analysis | Ministry availability; NIC access; state board intro meetings |
| **1 — Strategy & IA** | 3 weeks | Sitemap confirmed; destination taxonomy; content model; persona validation; user journey maps; top-100 destination list | Phase 0 complete |
| **2 — Design** | 8 weeks | UX4G Incredible India theme tokens; high-fidelity screens for all P1 journeys; itinerary builder prototype; destination page template; admin/CMS screens | Phase 1 complete; photography brief agreed; Q-06 resolved |
| **3 — Usability Testing** | 2 weeks | Testing with 8–10 users across Priya, James, Heinrich, Ananya personas; Hindi session; accessibility testing with disabled user | Phase 2 prototype complete |
| **4 — Content Production** | 12 weeks *(parallel with 2–5)* | Top-100 destination pages written and edited; Hindi translation + human review; photography sourced, licensed, resized; state onboarding | Content writers commissioned; photography licensing confirmed |
| **5 — Development** | 12 weeks | Front-end build (UX4G + Incredible India theme); CMS integration; API integrations (maps, Bhashini, operator DB); itinerary builder | Phase 3 complete; all APIs documented; CMS confirmed |
| **6 — QA & Accessibility Audit** | 3 weeks | Functional testing; performance testing (photography load); WCAG 2.1 AA independent audit; cross-browser + device testing; load testing 10× peak | Phase 5 complete |
| **7 — Soft Launch** | 2 weeks | Top-50 destinations live; itinerary builder live; admin CMS live; top 10 state editors onboarded | Phase 6 complete |
| **8 — Full Launch** | — | All 100 destinations live; all features; DNS cutover; campaign launch; 4-week hypercare | Phase 7 stable; all state editors trained |

**Estimated total duration: 36–40 weeks from kick-off**

---

## 17. APPENDIX

### 17.1 Glossary

| Term | Definition |
|------|-----------|
| Incredible India | The official tourism brand of India, managed by the Ministry of Tourism since 2002 |
| Swadesh Darshan | Central government scheme for development of thematic tourist circuits; currently version 2.0 with sustainability focus |
| PRASHAD | Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage and Augmentation Drive — scheme for pilgrimage destination development |
| Dekho Apna Desh | "See Your Own Country" — domestic tourism promotion initiative of the Ministry of Tourism |
| Incredible India Classification | Ministry of Tourism quality classification for tour operators, guides, and accommodation (1–5 categories) |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | Site listed for outstanding universal value — India has 42 as of 2026 |
| OTA | Online Travel Agency — e.g. MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, Expedia; commercial booking platforms |
| e-Visa | India's electronic visa — available to nationals of 166 countries via indianvisaonline.gov.in |
| Bhashini | India's national language technology platform; provides IndicTrans v2 for translation and NLP |
| Bhuvan | ISRO's web-GIS portal — India's national mapping platform; GoI-approved alternative to Google Maps |
| PDPB | Personal Data Protection Bill — India's data privacy legislation |
| Circuit | Multi-destination travel route connecting related destinations — typically themed (heritage, wildlife, coastal) |
| State tourism board | Each of India's 28 states and 8 UTs has a tourism department promoting travel within that state |
| Char Dham | Four sacred Hindu pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand — have a separate registration portal |

### 17.2 Current State Audit

| Page / section | Current issue | Recommended change |
|----------------|--------------|-------------------|
| Homepage | Static text blocks, low-quality images, no personalisation, dated design | Full redesign — photography-dominant, persona-aware entry points |
| Destination pages | No standard template; inconsistent content and photography quality | Standardised template per FR-DATA-01; minimum 3 photos per page before launch |
| Search | Keyword-only; no natural language support; unhelpful results | NLP-based search via Bhashini + indexed content |
| Mobile experience | Layout breaks on most smartphones | Mobile-first redesign |
| Language | English only on most practical planning content | Hindi at launch; regional languages phased |
| Itinerary builder | Does not exist | Build per FR-FORM-01 through FR-FORM-06 |
| Visa information | Outdated, scattered across pages | Dedicated /plan/visa with nationality checker |
| Accessibility information | Non-existent | Accessibility section on every destination page; dedicated hub |
| State content | Siloed; not surfaced on national portal | State pages with state-board CMS access |
| Footer | Cluttered, inconsistent, no brand treatment | GIGW 3.0-compliant footer with dark Incredible India red background |

### 17.3 Top 20 Destination Pages — Launch Priority

| Priority | Destination | State / UT | Category |
|----------|------------|-----------|---------|
| 1 | Taj Mahal, Agra | Uttar Pradesh | UNESCO Heritage |
| 2 | Jaipur (Pink City) | Rajasthan | Heritage + Culture |
| 3 | Kerala Backwaters | Kerala | Nature + Wellness |
| 4 | Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | Spiritual |
| 5 | Leh-Ladakh | Ladakh UT | Adventure + Nature |
| 6 | Goa | Goa | Beach + Leisure |
| 7 | Khajuraho | Madhya Pradesh | UNESCO Heritage |
| 8 | Coorg (Kodagu) | Karnataka | Nature + Wellness |
| 9 | Hampi | Karnataka | UNESCO Heritage |
| 10 | Rishikesh + Haridwar | Uttarakhand | Spiritual + Adventure |
| 11 | Darjeeling | West Bengal | Nature + Heritage |
| 12 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | A&N Islands UT | Beach + Wildlife |
| 13 | Ranthambhore | Rajasthan | Wildlife |
| 14 | Mysuru | Karnataka | Heritage + Culture |
| 15 | Valley of Flowers | Uttarakhand | UNESCO + Nature |
| 16 | Udaipur | Rajasthan | Heritage |
| 17 | Amritsar | Punjab | Spiritual + Culture |
| 18 | Mahabalipuram | Tamil Nadu | UNESCO Heritage |
| 19 | Sundarbans | West Bengal | UNESCO + Wildlife |
| 20 | Spiti Valley | Himachal Pradesh | Adventure + Nature |

### 17.4 Design Benchmarks

| Reference | Influence type | What to take |
|-----------|---------------|-------------|
| Visit Scotland (visitscotland.com) | Positive | Destination discovery structure, photography quality, editorial tone, itinerary builder UX |
| Tourism Australia (australia.com) | Positive | Hero photography treatment, theme-based browsing, international traveller orientation |
| Airbnb Experiences | Positive | Experience card design, immersive photography, discovery-first layout |
| GOV.UK | Positive | Plain language, task completion for practical pages (visa, travel tips) |
| Current incredibleindia.org | Negative | Do not replicate: static pages, government-category structure, low photography quality |
| MakeMyTrip / Booking.com | Avoid | Commercial density, price anchoring, OTA-style patterns — this is a discovery portal |

### 17.5 Related Documents

| Document | Location | Relevance |
|---------|----------|----------|
| UX4G Design System | ux4g.gov.in | Mandatory design system |
| UX4G Figma Component Library | Attached to design brief | Component source |
| Incredible India Brand Guidelines | Ministry of Tourism | Visual identity |
| GIGW 3.0 Guidelines | meity.gov.in | Web standards |
| National Tourism Policy 2022 | tourism.gov.in | Strategic context |
| Existing incredibleindia.org analytics | NIC — pull in Phase 0 | Baseline metrics |
| Ministry photography library inventory | Ministry of Tourism | Asset audit |

### 17.6 Stakeholder Sign-off

| Stakeholder | Role | Signature | Date |
|-------------|------|-----------|------|
| | Ministry of Tourism — Product Owner | | |
| | India Tourism — Digital Head | | |
| | Design Lead — UX4G Team | | |
| | Technical Lead — NIC | | |
| | Accessibility Reviewer | | |
| | Legal / Compliance | | |
| | State Tourism Board Representative | | |
| | MeitY Representative | | |

---

*End of document.*

*This BRD is a living document. All changes must be recorded in the Document Control
table and communicated to the full design and development team. Changes after design
sign-off require a formal change request with impact assessment.*