UP Tourism Launches ‘Visit My State’ Initiative, Inviting Youth To Create 60-Second Reels

The Uttar Pradesh government is looking to transform Gen Z and other young residents into cultural ambassadors for their own cities, encouraging them to present their hometowns in their own words as part of a new digital tourism initiative, according to an official statement issued in Lucknow on Monday. The move comes as officials increasingly recognize the role young people play in shaping digital culture and influencing travel discovery trends through social media platforms.

Under the newly launched "Visit My State Uttar Pradesh" campaign, UP Tourism has invited participants to create 60-second video reels, narrated in their own voice, showcasing what makes their particular city or hometown special. The campaign appears designed to leverage the popularity of short-form video content, a format that has become dominant across social media platforms and is particularly favored by younger audiences, to generate authentic, locally rooted promotional material for tourism purposes across the state.

Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh commented on the initiative, emphasizing the cultural richness of Uttar Pradesh as a foundation for the campaign, though the full scope of his remarks was not immediately detailed in the initial statement. The initiative reflects a broader strategy by the state tourism department to move beyond traditional advertising and promotional methods, instead tapping into grassroots, user-generated content created by residents who have firsthand familiarity with the unique cultural, historical, and everyday characteristics of their respective cities.

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By inviting young residents to become active participants in showcasing their cities rather than relying solely on official tourism board messaging, the campaign aims to produce content that may resonate more authentically with potential travelers, particularly those within Gen Z and millennial demographics who often place greater trust in peer-generated recommendations over conventional advertising. Uttar Pradesh, home to numerous historically and culturally significant sites, including religious centers, heritage monuments, and diverse regional traditions across its various cities, offers a wide range of material for participants to draw upon when creating their submissions.

The initiative aligns with a broader trend among Indian state governments increasingly turning to digital and social media-driven campaigns to boost tourism, recognizing the growing influence of platforms like Instagram and YouTube in shaping travel decisions among younger consumers. Further details regarding submission guidelines, selection criteria, or potential incentives for participants were not fully outlined in the available statement, though the campaign's emphasis on youth engagement suggests the state is positioning itself to capture a share of the growing digital travel content market driven by younger content creators and travel enthusiasts.

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