Ministry of Tourism Initiatives Launch on World Tourism Day 2026
The Ministry of Tourism celebrated World Tourism Day 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, with Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Secretary Bhuvnesh Kumar presiding over the event alongside senior officials and tourism industry representatives. The Minister emphasized that tourism must extend beyond popular destinations to create opportunities for local communities, entrepreneurs, women, and youth while making tourism more balanced, inclusive, and sustainable.
Key Launches: National Digital Tourism Stack and Alternative Destinations Mission
The Union Minister launched two major initiatives: the National Digital Tourism Stack and the National Mission for Alternative Destinations—Dekho Apna Desh Campaign 2.0. The National Digital Tourism Stack is being developed in collaboration with ONDC and supported by the International Centre for DPI Innovation and Advancement (ICDIA). This shared digital infrastructure aims to make India's tourism offerings more discoverable, accessible, and trustworthy by enabling tourism providers to list offerings across participating platforms with capabilities including verified identities, supplier credentials, search and discovery, payments, ratings, and grievance redressal. The program will be implemented in phases with a pilot planned for January 2027.
The National Mission for Alternative Destinations seeks to redistribute tourism demand by promoting tourism-ready, lesser-known destinations as alternatives to overcrowded locations. The initiative will focus initially on hill and mountain destinations, coastal and waterfront destinations, heritage and cultural towns, and regional pilgrimage destinations. It will involve collaboration with States and Union Territories to identify destinations with distinct appeal, adequate infrastructure, accommodation, and sustainable visitor capacity. The mission will develop bookable itineraries and packages covering accommodation, transport, meals, and local experiences while creating opportunities for artisans, self-help groups, guides, and other local stakeholders.
Strategic Partnerships through MoUs
The Ministry exchanged five Memoranda of Understanding with industry partners: Airbnb India Private Limited for homestay development and host skilling; FlixBus India Private Limited for destination promotion and responsible travel through intercity mobility; Glance Digital Experience Private Limited (InMobi Group) for digital tourism content and responsible visitor messaging; Eicher Group Foundation for community-led, heritage-based sustainable tourism in the Himalayan region; and MakeMyTrip (India) Limited for promotion of unexplored villages, authentic local shopping, and Ministry-identified travel initiatives. All collaborations are non-commercial, non-financial, non-binding, and non-exclusive.
Additional Launches and Presentations
Secretary Bhuvnesh Kumar highlighted how artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and data-driven destination management can make tourism more accessible, responsive, and personalized. Dr. Vivek Raghavan, Co-Founder of Sarvam AI, delivered a keynote address on how AI can transform every stage of the tourism journey from discovery to experience sharing. The event also featured the launch of a social awareness TV Campaign 2026 on Swachhta, promoting cleanliness at pilgrimage sites, temples, and heritage sites, and the release of India Tourism Statistics 2026.