Parliament Question: Dekho Apna Desh Initiative

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No.*318 ANSWERED ON 10.08.2026 DEKHO APNA DESH INITIATIVE *318. SMT. SHAMBHAVI:

SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has evaluated the impact of the Dekho Apna Desh initiative in promoting domestic tourism in the country, especially in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh during 2025-26;

(b) if so, the details thereof, including the lesser-known historical and cultural destinations highlighted through the said campaign in the country, especially in the said States;

(c) the details of total expenditure incurred on organizing regional promotional events, digital marketing and capacity building of tourist guides in the country, especially in the said States during the last one year;

(d) whether the Government has recorded any quantifiable increase in domestic tourist footfalls at these newly promoted sites compared to previous years, particularly in Khagaria, Samastipur, Jamui, Sagar, Ghaziabad and Rajahmundry Lok Sabha Constituencies; and

(e) the details of steps taken/being taken by the Government to collaborate with private travel operators to develop affordable tourpackages covering these destinations in the country, especially in the said States? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House. *******STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*318 ANSWERED ON 10.08.2026 REGARDING DEKHO APNA DESH INITIATIVE RAISED BY SMT. SHAMBHAVI AND SHRI RAJESH VERMA

(a) to (c): The Ministry of Tourism launched the Dekho Apna Desh initiative in January 2020 to promote domestic tourism across the country, including lesser-known historical, cultural and other tourism destinations. Under the initiative, the Ministry promotes tourism destinations and products through webinars, quizzes, pledge campaigns, seminars, tourism promotional events, familiarisation (FAM) tours, the Incredible India website and social media platforms.

Domestic Tourist Visits (DTV) have increased from 61 crore in 2020 to 429 crore in 2025. The details of Domestic Tourist Visits in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh during 2020 and 2025 are

given below:

Sl. No. States/UTs 2020 2025

1. Andhra Pradesh 7,08,28,590 35,38,99,146

2. Bihar 56,38,024 6,54,68,527

3. Madhya Pradesh 2,35,19,632 13,95,96,049

4. Uttar Pradesh 8,61,22,293 1,55,74,23,503 Expenditure on domestic tourism promotion is incurred under the Domestic Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) scheme.

During 2025–26, the Ministry incurred an expenditure of ₹59.37 crore under the scheme. In addition, the Ministry incurred expenditure of ₹ 4.07 crore for capacity building of tourist guides under its Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) and Incredible India Tourist Guides (IITG) Programme during 2025-26.(d): The Ministry of tourism compiles Domestic Tourist Visit (DTV) data from the information supplied by the respective State Governments/UT Administrations. However, Lok Sabha Constituency wise tourist footfall data are not maintained by the Ministry.

(e): The Ministry supports tourism industry stakeholders, including tour operators, through integrated tourism promotion initiatives, digital promotion, participation in and organisation of travel marts, roadshows, buyer-seller meets, networking sessions and FAM tours. These initiatives facilitate the development and promotion of tourism packages.

******