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Visa and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) have announced plans to explore a collaboration aimed at making India’s tourism offerings easier for travellers to discover.
The initiative was announced on September 11, 2026, during the Global Fintech Festival 2026. The proposed collaboration would focus on tourism experiences, travel itineraries and local businesses across India, using digital platforms to make travel discovery more convenient.
Digital Technology Enters Tourism Discovery
Travellers increasingly use digital platforms to search for destinations, experiences and activities before and during their journeys. Visa and ONDC are now exploring how their respective digital capabilities could help make these tourism offerings easier to discover.
The initiative could provide travellers with greater access to experiences across different parts of India, including offerings from local businesses that may have limited visibility on larger travel platforms.
“Tourism can be a very important asset where ONDC can serve as the digital infrastructure for tourism in the country.” - Suresh Sethi, Group Country Manager, India & South Asia, Visa
The proposed collaboration also reflects the growing role of technology in helping travellers plan and personalise their journeys.
Focus on Local Tourism Businesses
Local businesses are an important part of India's tourism ecosystem. Small hotels, tour operators, activity providers, cultural experiences and other service providers contribute to the travel experience across different regions.
A digital network that makes these businesses easier to discover could give them access to a broader pool of potential travellers.
For tourists, this could mean greater choice when looking beyond India's major and established destinations.
ONDC Looks at Tourism Opportunity
Tourism is one of the areas where ONDC sees potential to expand its open digital network.
“At ONDC, our North Star is creating markets for sellers and choice for buyers, whether it is in retail, financial services, logistics or tourism.” - Hrushikesh Mehta, Chief Business Officer, Financial Services, ONDC
The approach could help connect travellers with a wider selection of tourism services while giving businesses another digital route to reach customers.
Making Travel Discovery More Connected
The proposed initiative could eventually bring different elements of tourism discovery into a more connected digital environment.
Travellers could potentially use digital platforms to discover destinations, explore local experiences and identify activities when planning a trip.
Rather than limiting discovery to large and well-known tourism providers, an open digital ecosystem could provide opportunities for smaller businesses and regional destinations to become more visible.
AI Could Support Future Travel Planning
Artificial intelligence is also becoming an important part of digital travel planning.
AI-based tools can help travellers identify destinations and experiences based on their interests and preferences. They can also assist in creating personalised travel itineraries.
Visa and ONDC are exploring how their collaboration could support this changing travel-discovery environment, including the potential use of AI agents to help travellers discover experiences and plan journeys.
Supporting India's Diverse Tourism Market
India has a broad tourism ecosystem covering heritage sites, cultural experiences, adventure activities, hospitality, food and local travel services.
Greater digital visibility could help connect these offerings with both domestic and international travellers.
For smaller tourism businesses, improved digital discovery could provide an opportunity to reach customers who may not otherwise come across their services.
Collaboration Remains at Exploration Stage
It is important to note that the Visa-ONDC initiative is not being presented as a completed tourism partnership. The two organisations have announced their intent to explore a collaboration and assess how their capabilities could work together to improve tourism discovery in India.
The development highlights the growing connection between technology and travel. As tourists increasingly depend on digital tools to plan their journeys, platforms that make destinations, experiences and local businesses easier to discover could play a larger role in India's tourism ecosystem.
If the proposed collaboration progresses, it could create new opportunities for travellers to explore India's diverse tourism offerings while giving local businesses greater digital visibility.
