Budget 2026: Govt’s big tourism push includes world-class trekking experiences, 7 high-speed rail corridors, and more

The government has announced plans to develop ‘ecologically sustainable trails’ in hilly areas such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats and Pothigai Malai in the Western Ghats. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made the announcement while presenting the Union Budget 2026–27 on Sunday.

The initiative aims to strengthen India’s tourism sector while ensuring ‘minimal’ impact on the environment.

“India has the potential and opportunity to offer world-class trekking and hiking experiences,” Sitharaman said. “The government will develop sustainable mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir, as well as in Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats and Pothigai Malai in the Western Ghats.”

To support tourist guides across the country, the government will launch a pilot programme to train 10,000 guides at 20 iconic tourist destinations. The initiative will offer a structured 12-week hybrid training programme, developed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management.

The programme is designed to enhance guides’ skills in areas such as local culture, history, safety, and eco-tourism, the finance minister said.

Boost to heritage and creative skills

The Centre also plans to upgrade 15 archaeological sites into major cultural hubs, strengthening India’s heritage tourism ecosystem

In addition, the budget announced a major creative-skills initiative, which includes the establishment of Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) content creation labs in 1,500 schools and 500 colleges. The move aims to nurture young storytellers who can effectively promote India’s tourism narrative both domestically and internationally.

Sitharaman also emphasised the need for environmentally sustainable passenger transport and proposed the development of seven high-speed rail corridors connecting key urban and economic centres.

The proposed routes include Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Hyderabad–Chennai, Chennai–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi, and Varanasi–Siliguri. Together, these corridors will link India’s financial hubs, technology centres, manufacturing clusters, and emerging cities, enabling faster and cleaner mobility.

In addition, special trails will be created for wildlife tourism. These include turtle trails along nesting sites in Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala, and bird-watching trails around Pulicat Lake.

(With inputs from agencies)