Union Budget 2026: 11 Tourism Announcements Set to Transform Indian Travel

• The Union Budget 2026-27 positions tourism as a central pillar for economic growth, employment, and foreign exchange earnings, shifting towards value-driven, experience-based travel.
• Key initiatives include training 10,000 tourist guides with IIM collaboration, developing 15 archaeological sites into experiential heritage destinations, and promoting Buddhist circuits in the North-East.
• The budget also focuses on Purvodaya states with new tourism destinations and 4,000 e-buses, upgrades the National Institute of Hospitality, and establishes five regional medical tourism hubs.
• Astro-tourism will grow with telescope upgrades, while eco-tourism gets a boost through turtle, bird-watching, and nature trails across biodiversity zones.
• Adventure tourism in the Himalayas will see infrastructure investment, and TCS on overseas tour packages is slashed to 2% to ease travel costs and boost outbound tourism.

Why It Matters: Union Budget 2026 unveils a comprehensive strategy to transform India's tourism into a sustainable, experience-led sector.