Tsewang Rigzin
LEH: Launch of the new logo for the Department of Tourism of the Union Territory of Ladakh on the occasion of the celebration of two years in the Union Territory of Ladakh drew sharp criticism from all sections of the society.
Social media has been bombarded with memes, jokes and criticism on the newly launched logo since its launch.
The Department of Tourism also issued an official clarification on the process that was followed in selecting the final logo.
The logo was unveiled by Lt. Governor of UT of Ladakh, R.K Mathur, on the occasion of the celebration of two years of Union Territory of Ladakh and the designer was presented with a cheque of Rs 1 lakh.
Chairman/Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh Tashi Gyalson on Tuesday wrote to Lt Governor, UT Ladakh, R.K Mathur, requesting him for the withdrawal of the newly launched logo.
CEC said that the logo should represent Ladakh for tourism promotion as it becomes the face of the tourism industry of Ladakh.
“The approved logo does not represent ‘essence of Ladakh’ and now there is a huge public outcry from different walks of life about the logo. This office was also shown the entries of the logo for grading, after a grading system from the different stakeholder, the top ten logos should have been given to a creative agency or expert committee to further work on it as it was understood as part of the procedure. In the light of above, I request your magnanimity to kindly have it re-examined to consider withdrawing the logo immediately and redesigning it,” Tashi Gyalson requested Lt. Governor of Ladakh.
All Ladakh Tour Operators Association (ALTOA) and All Ladakh Hotel and Guest House Association( ALHGHA ) also had a meeting on Tuesday expressing anguish at the logo chosen to represent Ladakh Tourism.
The Department of Tourism in its attempt to justify the selection of the logo claimed that it had undergone a series of selection processes through an open competition.
“Designs/proposals were invited through a notice issued on 29th May 2020. The date for submission of Logo designs/proposals was extended till 28th January 2021 through a notice issued on 13th January 2021 to ensure more competition and attract better designs,” an official release said, adding that the prize money of Rs 1 lakh was also notified.
The Department received 183 entries from various parts of the country.
“The Department of Tourism constituted a committee comprising representatives and stakeholders from the concerned departments to select the Logo. The Department received 183 entries which were evaluated by the committee through a marking system. The top 30 entries were sent to LAHDC, Leh & Kargil for their inputs/marking after compiling the marks assigned by the committee members. After including the marks assigned by the LAHDC, Leh & Kargil, the final winner was selected. A transparent process was followed to choose the final Logo that was unanimously approved by the competent authority,” said the official release.
While on the other hand, the travel trade associations, ALTOA and ALHGHA, said that during the stakeholders’ consultation meeting with the administration, members of both associations were called to shortlist logos from a submission of 100+ entries, most of which were submitted by non-professionals. Since none of the logos were up to the mark, the executive members decided to vote on the basis of the potential of various designers, and communicated with the department that the shortlisted designers should then work further to develop a better logo.
“We specifically asked the department to include expert level graphic artists and designers to assess the submissions based on creative and technical aspects. Our request was not heeded. and the final logo was released without any further consultation with stakeholders,” representatives of the travel trade associations lamented.
They appealed to the authorities that the chosen logo be reconsidered, and that proposals be taken out to choose a professional branding agency, to ensure that a complete branding exercise be undertaken to represent Ladakh Tourism, the biggest industry for Ladakh and its people, and requested that the local stakeholders be kept involved in the exercise, so as to ensure an inclusive representation of the region.