The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and Google India Pvt. Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the digital promotion of India’s tourism destinations through the use of digital technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), data-driven insights, and capacity-building initiatives. The MoU was exchanged in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, marking a significant step towards enhancing India’s digital tourism ecosystem under the Incredible India initiative.
The MoU establishes a collaborative framework between the Ministry of Tourism and Google India across several strategic areas, including digital tourism promotion, knowledge sharing, capacity building, and the adoption of emerging technologies to enhance visitor engagement. Through the partnership, Google will leverage its expertise across its digital ecosystem to strengthen the visibility of India’s tourism destinations, experiences, and cultural heritage among both domestic and international travellers.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the collaboration is designed to utilise digital technologies to improve destination discoverability while helping the Ministry better understand global travel trends, traveller behaviour, and digital engagement patterns. These insights will support evidence-based tourism promotion strategies and enable more targeted, effective, and measurable outreach campaigns for India’s tourism sector.
As part of the partnership, Google India will also support training and capacity-building programmes for officials of the Ministry of Tourism. These programmes will focus on digital marketing tools, campaign optimisation, content creation, and the use of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, enabling tourism officials to strengthen digital outreach and improve engagement with global audiences.
Addressing the occasion, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, said, “Digital technologies have the potential to create immersive experiences that can showcase the glory and grandeur of India’s cultural sites to audiences across the world.”
He further added, “By harnessing cutting-edge digital technologies, we can transform the way travellers discover, experience and engage with India’s rich cultural and natural heritage.”
The Minister stated that the collaboration reflects the Ministry’s commitment to adopting innovative and technology-driven approaches to tourism promotion under the Incredible India initiative. He expressed confidence that the partnership would significantly strengthen India’s global tourism presence, improve digital outreach, and position the country as a modern, accessible, and globally competitive tourism destination.
The Ministry clarified that the collaboration is non-commercial, non-binding, and non-exclusive, with no financial implications for either the Government of India or Google India. The agreement is intended solely to facilitate knowledge exchange, digital innovation, and collaborative efforts towards promoting India’s tourism sector.
The Ministry of Tourism and Google India reaffirmed their shared commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to enhance India’s tourism ecosystem and promote the country as a preferred global travel destination. The partnership is expected to create new opportunities for digital storytelling, destination marketing, and enhanced visitor engagement while supporting India’s long-term tourism growth objectives.
The MoU exchange ceremony was attended by Bhuvnesh Kumar, Union Tourism Secretary; Suman Billa, Additional Secretary and Director General (Tourism); Preeti Lobana, Country Manager and Vice President, Google India; along with senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and representatives from Google India.
