Budget 2026: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Big Boost To Eco, Medical Tourism And Nature-based Travel

Budget 2026: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2026–27 on the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas. This marked the ninth budget tabled by the finance minister. In her speech, Sitharaman laid emphasis on India’s economic stability, fiscal discipline, and sustained growth. In the journey to steer India towards the 'Viksit Bharat' 2047 goal, the Finance Minister made extensive mention of the boost in the tourism sector.
 

Finance Minister proposes regional hub for medical tourism 

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said that the government will support states in setting up five regional hubs across the country to promote India as a global destination for medical tourism. While presenting the Budget in Parliament, the Finance Minister said, "To promote India as a medical tourism hub, I propose a scheme to support states to set up 5 regional hubs in the country."The Minister proposed establishing five regional medical hubs in partnership with the private sector to position India as a global leader in medical value tourism. Key announcements include establishing three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda, upgrading the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, and launching a loan-linked subsidy scheme for veterinary infrastructure. These hubs will offer integrated healthcare services, including modern hospital infrastructure, diagnostics, post-treatment care, rehabilitation, and AYUSH systems.

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Emphasis on eco-tourism and nature-based travel

The Budget also highlighted eco-tourism and nature-based travel. Sitharaman added that the government will develop ecologically sustainable mountain and nature trails across several regions, including the Himalayas and the Western and Eastern Ghats, to boost trekking, hiking, and eco-tourism in the country. In her speech, Sitharaman mentioned, "India has the potential and opportunity to offer world-class
Trekking and hiking experience. We will develop ecologically sustainable (i) Mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir; Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats and Podhigai Malai in the
Western Ghats. (ii) Turtle Trails along key nesting sites in the coastal areas of Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala; and (iii) Bird watching trails along the Pulikat lake in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu."

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What's for heritage and cultural tourism

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her Budget 2026 speech, “I propose to develop 15 archaeological sites, including Lothal, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Adichanallur, Sarnath, Hastinapur, and Leh Palace into vibrant, experiential cultural destinations. Excavated landscapes will be opened to the public through curated walkways. Immersive storytelling skills and technologies will be introduced to help conservation labs, interpretation centres, and guides.”

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The Union Budget placed tourism at the centre of its employment and growth strategy, highlighting its role in job creation, foreign exchange earnings and local economic development. The government outlined a mix of institution-building, skilling, digital documentation and eco-tourism initiatives to strengthen the sector across India. "The tourism sector has the potential to play a large role in the employment generation, foreign exchange earnings and expanding the local economy," the finance minister said. The Union Budget placed strong focus on boosting the tourism sector, with proposals ranging from medical tourism hubs and eco-friendly travel trails to skill development, hospitality training and digital documentation of India's cultural and heritage destinations.