Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday said the next phase of India’s tourism growth must move beyond popular destinations and create greater opportunities for local communities, entrepreneurs, women and youth.
Addressing the World Tourism Day 2026 celebrations at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Shekhawat said changing traveller preferences were creating new opportunities for India to promote more authentic and community-oriented tourism.
“Tourism is no longer just about visiting places; today’s travellers seek authentic experiences – local cuisine, local art, local traditions and meaningful connections that create memories, not merely photographs,” he said.
“The next phase of India’s tourism journey must ensure that growth reaches beyond popular destinations, creating opportunities for local communities, entrepreneurs, women and youth while making tourism more balanced, inclusive and sustainable,” he added.
The Ministry of Tourism marked World Tourism Day 2026 by launching the National Digital Tourism Stack and the National Mission for Alternative Destinations – Dekho Apna Desh Campaign 2.0. The Ministry also exchanged five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with industry partners aimed at strengthening destination promotion, community participation and responsible tourism.
Digital tourism infrastructure to be developed
Tourism Secretary Bhuvnesh Kumar said digital technologies and data-driven destination management could make tourism more accessible, responsive and personalised.
“Artificial Intelligence, digital platforms and data-driven destination management can make tourism more accessible, responsive and personalised. India has considerable experience in Digital Public Infrastructure, and we are now looking at how these capabilities can be brought together for tourism,” he said.
The National Digital Tourism Stack is being developed in collaboration with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), with support from the International Centre for DPI Innovation and Advancement (ICDIA).
The shared digital infrastructure is aimed at making India’s tourism offerings more discoverable, accessible and trustworthy. It will enable tourism providers to make their services available across participating platforms and is envisaged to provide capabilities including verified identities and supplier credentials, search and discovery, payments, ratings and grievance redressal.
The programme will involve the Ministry of Tourism, States, Union Territories and industry stakeholders and will be implemented in phases. A pilot is planned for January 2027.
Dekho Apna Desh 2.0 to promote lesser-known destinations
The National Mission for Alternative Destinations – Dekho Apna Desh Campaign 2.0 is designed to redistribute tourism demand by promoting lesser-known, tourism-ready destinations as alternatives or complements to destinations facing heavy tourist footfall.
The initiative will be implemented in collaboration with States and Union Territories and will identify destinations with distinctive attractions, adequate infrastructure and accommodation, and the capacity to receive additional visitors sustainably.
The initial focus will cover hill and mountain destinations, coastal and waterfront destinations, heritage and cultural towns, and regional pilgrimage destinations.
Under the initiative, States, Union Territories and tourism industry partners will work together to develop bookable itineraries and packages covering accommodation, transport, meals and local experiences.
The programme also seeks to generate opportunities for artisans, self-help groups, local guides and other community stakeholders. Promotion will follow a social media-first approach supported by digital campaigns and industry participation.
Visitor data and feedback will be used to inform destination management and monitor tourist footfall against assessed carrying capacity.
Five MoUs signed with industry partners
The Ministry also exchanged five MoUs with industry partners to strengthen tourism promotion and responsible travel.
The agreements were signed with Airbnb India Private Limited, FlixBus India Private Limited, Glance Digital Experience Private Limited (InMobi Group), Eicher Group Foundation and MakeMyTrip (India) Limited.
The partnership with Airbnb focuses on homestay development and host skilling, while the collaboration with FlixBus will promote destinations and responsible travel through intercity mobility.
The agreement with Glance will focus on digital tourism content and responsible visitor messaging, while the partnership with Eicher Group Foundation will support community-led, heritage-based sustainable tourism in the Himalayan region.
The MoU with MakeMyTrip will focus on promoting unexplored villages, authentic local shopping and travel initiatives identified by the Ministry of Tourism.
The Ministry said collaborations under all five MoUs are non-commercial, non-financial, non-binding and non-exclusive.
AI seen as key to reshaping tourism
Dr Vivek Raghavan, Co-Founder of Sarvam AI, delivered the keynote address on the World Tourism Day 2026 theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”
He said artificial intelligence had the potential to transform the entire tourism journey, from discovering destinations and planning trips to booking, experiencing and sharing travel.
He emphasised the potential of technology to make travel more seamless, personalised and accessible while enabling customised experiences for travellers.
Presentations on the National Digital Tourism Stack and the National Mission for Alternative Destinations were made by Tourism Secretary Bhuvnesh Kumar and Additional Secretary and Director General of Tourism Suman Billa, followed by interactions with industry representatives.
Swachhta campaign and tourism statistics released
The World Tourism Day programme also saw the launch of the Social Awareness TV Campaign 2026 on Swachhta. The campaign features Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to citizens to keep pilgrimage sites, temples and heritage sites clean and encourage collective participation in cleanliness efforts.
The India Tourism Statistics 2026 publication was also released during the event. The programme included the screening of the campaign’s television commercial and a video highlighting the publication.
The World Tourism Day celebrations were attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Tourism and representatives from the tourism industry.
