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Himalayan treks, Indus sites: India eyes tourism boom
1 Feb
Summary
- Government plans tourism development for Himalayan and Ghat treks.
- Fifteen archaeological sites, including Lothal and Dholavira, will be developed.
- A pilot scheme aims to train 10,000 guides at top tourist spots.
The Indian government is proposing to promote thematic tourism by developing trekking routes in the Himalayas and Ghats, alongside archaeological sites like those from the Indus Valley Civilisation and Buddhist locations. These initiatives will be supported by the Swadesh Darshan scheme, which has received an allocation of ₹1,905 crore for FY27. The finance minister announced plans to open 15 excavated archaeological sites for public access, featuring curated walkways and immersive storytelling technologies.
Additionally, a hybrid pilot scheme is planned to train and upskill 10,000 guides at the country's top 20 tourist destinations. While the Swadesh Darshan scheme's allocation remains similar, its utilization in FY26 was ₹517 crore out of ₹1,900 crore. The overall budget for the tourism ministry has seen a 4% decrease to ₹2,438.40 crore for FY27.
Experts note a shift towards heritage-based experiences, though India lags behind some Asian peers in developing thematic tourist circuits. The government's focus on tier II and tier III cities through the city economic regions (CER) development with ₹5,000 crore allocation is expected to boost tourism in these smaller urban areas.
