Budget 2026-27: Government unveils major tourism and heritage initiatives

The government on Sunday proposed setting up a ‘National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid’ to digitally document all places of significance across the country, including cultural and spiritual.

Presenting the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also proposed development of “ecologically sustainable” mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir and setting up a ‘National Institute of Hospitality’.

“Tourism sector has a large role to play in employment generation, forex earnings and expanding the local economy. I propose to set up a National Institute of Hospitality by upgrading the existing National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology,” she said.

It will function as a “bridge” between academia, industry and and government, the FM said.

In her speech, the finance minister further proposed to “develop 15 archeological sites”, including Lothal, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Sarnath, Hastinapur, Leh Palace into “vibrant experiential cultural destinations”.

“Excavated landscapes will be opened to the public through curated walkways, immersive storytelling skills and technologies will be introduced to help conservation labs, interpretation centres and guides,” she said.

The minister also proposed a “pilot scheme for upskilling 10,000 guides in 20 iconic tourist sites” through a standardised high-quality 12-week training programme in hybrid mode, in collaboration with an Indian Institute of Management.