Newdelhi:27/9/26:The Ministry of Tourism celebrated World Tourism Day 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, today, in the presence of Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, senior officials of the Ministry and tourism industry representatives.

On this occasion, the Union Minister launched 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. Addressing the gathering, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, “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 further stated, “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.”

Delivering the welcome address, Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, stated, “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.”

As part of the programme, Dr. Vivek Raghavan, Co-Founder, Sarvam AI, delivered the keynote address on this year’s World Tourism Day theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.” He stated that AI has the potential to transform every stage of the tourism journey — from discovering destinations and planning a trip, to experiencing and sharing it. The opportunity before us is to use technology to make travel more seamless, personalised and accessible, while creating a customized experience for every traveller."

Presentations on the National Digital Tourism Stack and Nationa Mission for Alternative Destinations – a mission for redistribution of tourism demand & promotion of lesser-known destinations ­— ­­­­Dekho Apna Desh Campaign 2.0 were made by Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar and Shri Suman Billa, Additional Secretary and Director General, Ministry of Tourism, respectively, followed by interactions with industry representatives.

The National Digital Tourism Stack, being developed in collaboration with ONDC and with the support of the International Centre for DPI Innovation and Advancement (ICDIA), aims to make India’s tourism offerings more discoverable, accessible and trustworthy. This shared digital infrastructure will enable tourism providers to make their offerings available across participating platforms, supported by capabilities such as verified identities and supplier credentials, search and discovery, payments, ratings and grievance redressal. Envisaged as a collaborative effort involving the Ministry, States, Union Territories and industry, the programme will be implemented in phases, with a pilot planned for January 2027.