India is building a new digital infrastructure for tourism that could change how travellers discover and access local experiences, homestays and lesser-known destinations.
The National Digital Tourism Stack was launched by the Ministry of Tourism on World Tourism Day 2026 in collaboration with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: National Digital Tourism Stack launched.
Location: New Delhi, India.
Authority/Organisation: Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with ONDC.
Action Taken: Shared digital infrastructure planned for tourism discovery, verification, payments, ratings and grievance handling.
Impact: Target of 23,000 tourism experiences and homestays by the end of 2028, with a pilot planned for January 2027.
The initiative is designed as a shared digital layer through which tourism providers can make their offerings available across participating platforms. The system is expected to support verified identities and supplier credentials, search and discovery, payments, ratings and grievance redressal.
The government has set a target of bringing 23,000 tourism experiences and homestays onto the system and making them discoverable, trustworthy and bookable by the end of 2028. A pilot implementation is planned for January 2027.
The project is being developed with ONDC and the International Centre for DPI Innovation and Advancement. Unlike a single travel-booking website, the proposed infrastructure is intended to allow tourism providers to become visible across participating digital platforms.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
The initiative could give smaller tourism businesses and local experience providers a stronger digital presence without requiring them to depend on a single private platform. For travellers, the proposed system could make it easier to discover verified local experiences and homestays alongside more established tourism products. The government's parallel focus on lesser-known destinations also connects the digital initiative with a broader effort to spread tourism activity beyond India's most crowded tourist centres.
