The Ministry of Tourism and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) have launched the National Digital Tourism Stack (NDTS), an open digital infrastructure aimed at making India’s tourism ecosystem more accessible, discoverable and connected. Scroll down to know more.
Ministry Of Tourism & ONDC Launches National Digital Tourism Stack
Launched on World Tourism Day 2026 in the presence of Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the initiative will connect tourism businesses, destinations and travellers across participating digital platforms. The Stack is designed to help smaller tourism providers and lesser-known destinations gain access to a wider digital market. The initiative comes as India’s tourism sector continues to support millions of jobs and businesses across hospitality, transport, food, retail, handicrafts, homestays and local experiences. According to Ministry of Tourism data, the sector contributed 5.22 per cent to India’s GDP and supported 8.46 crore jobs in 2023-24.
A key feature of the National Digital Tourism Stack will be its “list once, reach multiple platforms” model. Homestays, guides, attractions and experience providers will be able to list their offerings once and make them discoverable across participating applications, reducing the need to maintain separate digital integrations. For travellers, the platform aims to bring different parts of a journey together through shared digital infrastructure. This could include stays, experiences, transport, routes and last-mile mobility, reducing the need to use multiple platforms to plan and book a trip.
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Stack To Support Newer Ways Of Planning Travel
The Stack is also being developed as an AI-first infrastructure. It is intended to support newer ways of discovering and planning travel, including AI-led interfaces and personal digital agents. The broader vision includes bringing different parts of a traveller’s journey together through concepts such as “One ticket, One pass”. The ecosystem is expected to cover more than 23,000 tourism experiences and homestays. More than 1,000 tourism experiences are already transacting on the ONDC Network, including 170 ASI monuments and 29 museums.
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Trust will also form a core part of the initiative, with features planned around provider credentials, service quality, ratings and reviews, payments, identity requirements and grievance redressal. The Ministry of Tourism will work with states and Union Territories to curate and validate tourism experiences. ONDC, meanwhile, will provide the open digital infrastructure connecting tourism providers and participating platforms.
The initiative is intended to help bring more local businesses and lesser-known destinations into India’s growing digital tourism ecosystem.
Cover Image Courtesy: Pexels/Miriam Espacio
FAQs
Who is the current Minister of the Ministry of Tourism?
The current Union Minister of the Ministry of Tourism in India is Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
What is a Ministry of Tourism?
A Ministry of Tourism is a government department responsible for developing, promoting, and regulating the tourism industry within a country.
What does ONDC mean?
ONDC stands for the Open Network for Digital Commerce, a government-backed initiative in India designed to democratize and decentralize online retail and digital services.