Dekho Apna Desh 2.0 and a national digital tourism stack launched — what changes for travellers, and when
The tourism ministry launched a mission to spread travel to lesser-known places and a shared booking infrastructure built with ONDC. Its pilot is due in January 2027; nothing is bookable yet.
What was launched
Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched two programmes at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on World Tourism Day, 27 September 2026: a National Digital Tourism Stack, and the National Mission for Alternative Destinations — Dekho Apna Desh 2.0 campaign. The ministry also released India Tourism Statistics 2026 and exchanged five memoranda of understanding with travel companies and a foundation.
Neither programme changes how you book a trip today. The digital stack is due to be piloted from January 2027, and the ministry has not published a list of destinations for the new campaign.
The National Digital Tourism Stack
The stack is shared digital infrastructure being built by the Ministry of Tourism with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), with support from the International Centre for DPI Innovation and Advancement (ICDIA). According to the ministry, tourism providers will be able to make their offerings available across participating platforms, backed by verified identities and supplier credentials, search and discovery, payments, ratings and grievance redressal.
Tourism Secretary Bhuvnesh Kumar described the aim as a single booking journey: at present, he said, flights, hotels, cabs, boat rides or even an aarti at a temple each have to be booked on different websites, ETV Bharat reported.
The timetable reported by ETV Bharat: preparation and development from October to December 2026, a pilot from January to June 2027, and nationwide scaling from July 2027 to December 2028. The target by the end of 2028 is 23,000 tourism experiences and homestays — 14,000 experiences and 9,000 homestays.
Dekho Apna Desh 2.0
The ministry describes the campaign as a mission to redistribute tourism demand and promote lesser-known destinations. It names four kinds of place: hill and mountain destinations, coastal and waterfront destinations, heritage and cultural towns, and regional pilgrimage destinations.
According to the ministry, states and union territories will work on bookable packages that combine stays, transport, food and local experiences, involving local artisans and self-help groups, with promotion led on social media. The coverage we read does not name any destination, give a budget or point to a website for the new mission.
“The next phase of India’s tourism journey must ensure that growth reaches beyond popular destinations, creating opportunities for local communities,” Mr Shekhawat said, IANS reported.
The five agreements
The ministry exchanged memoranda of understanding with Airbnb India, FlixBus India, Glance Digital Experience (part of the InMobi Group), the Eicher Group Foundation and MakeMyTrip. ETV Bharat describes them as non-commercial and lists their focus: homestay development and host training (Airbnb), destination promotion and responsible intercity travel (FlixBus), digital content and visitor messaging (Glance), Himalayan heritage tourism (Eicher Group Foundation), and village promotion and local experiences (MakeMyTrip).
What it means for travellers
For now, this is a launch of plans, not of services. There is nothing new to book, and no destination list to plan around. The first test will be the pilot due from January 2027; whether homestays and local experiences become easier to find and book will depend on which states, providers and apps take part.
For the numbers behind the ministry’s World Tourism Day, see India’s tourism economy in numbers, and for where Indians travel at home, the national domestic tourism survey.
Sources
This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.
- "Digital Stack": Govt launches initiative to build digital public infrastructure for tourism sector — ETV Bharat, 28 September 2026
- World Tourism Day: Centre launches Dekho Apna Desh 2.0 campaign (IANS) — The Siasat Daily (IANS), 27 September 2026
- Tourism growth must reach beyond popular destinations and create opportunities for local communities — Ministry of Tourism release — Kashmir Despatch (Ministry of Tourism release), 28 September 2026
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