Comprehensive Information Portal To Help Foreigners During Covid-19

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, with an aim to extend support to the foreign tourists came up with a portal to disseminate information regarding the services that can be availed by foreign tourists who were stuck far away from their homeland in India.

The portal was titled ‘Stranded in India’ and aimed to act as a support network for foreign tourists stuck in various parts of the country.

The portal strandedinindia.com consisted of the following information that was useful for the tourists in their time of need:

a) Comprehensive information around COVID-19 helpline numbers or call centers that foreign tourists can reach out to for help.

b) A variety of information around Ministry of External Affairs control centers along with their contact information.

c) Information around state-based/regional tourism support infrastructure.

d) Help Support section to extend help to the ones in need of further information and connect foreign tourists to concerned authorities.

The biggest challenge was that the portal needed to be developed in two days’ time as the spread of the virus was out of control and a lot many people were stuck, seeking relevant information to help them get home easily.

Another challenge was coordination with regional tourism assistance facility centers across the country.

The project was well appreciated by everyone including the client, ministry, and the end-users. The timely response by our team and the proactive approach helped thousands of people amidst the pandemic.

The portal was a one-stop solution that helped foreign tourists get all the information that they needed and all the services they could avail in order to continue to live in India during the lockdown.