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    TRAVEL & TOURISM                                                          JULY 17, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 42

             Google and Govt. Partner to Digitally                                                                     Saudi Arabia

                                                                                                                          Launches
                 Transform India’s Tourism Sector                                                                     ‘Package Visa’

                                                                                                                    for International
               n a major step towards modernis-
               ing India’s tourism industry, the                                                                           Tourists
            IMinistry of Tourism and Google                                                                            audi Arabia has introduced a
            India have signed a Memorandum of                                                                          new Package Visa service that
            Understanding (MoU) to enhance                                                                        Sallows eligible international
            the digital promotion of the country’s                                                                travellers  to  book  flights,  accommo-
            tourism destinations. The collabo-                                                                    dation, tourist visas and travel expe-
            ration  aims  to  leverage  artificial  in-                                                           riences through a single digital plat-
            telligence (AI), data-driven insights,                                                                form, marking another step in the
            digital marketing, and emerging tech-                                                                 Kingdom’s efforts to position itself as
            nologies to boost India’s tourism econ-                                                               a leading global tourism destination
            omy and improve visitor engagement.                                                                   under its Vision 2030 strategy. The
                The agreement, signed in the
            presence of Union Tourism and Cul-                                                                    pilot programme is being rolled out
                                                                                                                  through authorised travel and tour-
            ture Minister Gajendra Singh Shek-                                                                    ism providers in selected international
            hawat, establishes a framework for                                                                    markets, including India.
            cooperation in digital tourism pro-                                                                       The integrated service enables vis-
            motion, knowledge sharing, capacity                                                                   itors to complete their travel planning
            building, and the use of innovative                                                                   in one transaction instead of booking
            technologies. The initiative will help   with the government’s vision of pro-  and promotional strategies.  flights,  hotels  and  visas  separately.
            showcase India’s cultural heritage,   moting tourism under the Incredible   Officials  emphasised  that  the   Packages can include return airfare,
            natural attractions, and travel experi-  India  campaign  through  technolo-  partnership  is  non-commercial,  accommodation at licensed hotels,
            ences to domestic and international   gy-driven solutions.          non-binding, and carries no financial   electronic visa processing, and option-
            audiences through Google’s digital    As part of the collaboration,   implications for either side. By com-  al cultural experiences, entertainment
            platforms.                        Google India will provide insights   bining government initiatives with   events and guided tours, creating a
                Speaking  at  the  event,  Shek-  into global travel trends, traveller be-  Google’s technological expertise,
            hawat said that digital technologies   haviour, and digital engagement pat-  the collaboration seeks to strength-  more seamless visitor experience.
                                                                                                                      Saudi officials said the initiative is
            have the potential to create immer-  terns. The company will also support   en India’s global tourism presence,   designed to reduce paperwork, simpli-
            sive experiences that allow travellers   training programmes for Ministry of-  attract more visitors, and contribute   fy travel arrangements and encourage
            to discover and engage with India’s   ficials in digital marketing, campaign   to the long-term growth of the tour-  tourists to spend more time exploring
            rich cultural and historical legacy.   optimisation, content creation, and   ism economy through innovation and   destinations across the Kingdom. The
            He added that the partnership aligns   AI-based tools to improve outreach   digital transformation.
                                                                                                                  programme also strengthens collabo-
                          AP AIMS TO BECOME INDIA’S FIRST                                                         ration between government agencies
                                                                                                                  and travel operators while enhancing
                                AI-POWERED TOURISM STATE                                                          convenience for international visitors.
                                                                                                                      The Package Visa builds on a
                                                                                                                  series of tourism reforms introduced
                  ndhra Pradesh has unveiled an   The government said the move   nomic growth and generate employ-  in recent years, including the tourist
                  ambitious plan to become In-  is part of its broader strategy to posi-  ment through tourism. Authorities   e-Visa, visa-on-arrival facilities and
            Adia’s first AI-powered tourism   tion Andhra Pradesh as a technolo-  believe AI-enabled services will help   the Stopover Transit Visa.
            state with the launch of NiVU AI, a   gy-driven tourism destination capable   create a more inclusive and accessible
            digital platform designed to transform   of attracting both domestic and inter-  travel experience while improving ser-  These measures have contrib-
            visitor  experiences  through  artificial   national travellers. The AI-powered   vice delivery across the sector.
            intelligence, data-driven services and   platform is expected to enhance oper-  Tourism experts have welcomed   uted to strong growth in Saudi
            personalised travel assistance.   ational efficiency, improve destination   the initiative, noting that the adop-  Arabia’s tourism sector, with
                The initiative, launched by the   management and strengthen the state’s   tion of artificial intelligence could set
            Andhra Pradesh Tourism Depart-    digital infrastructure for tourism.  a benchmark for other states seeking   the country welcoming more
            ment, seeks to integrate AI across the   According to officials, NiVU AI   to modernise tourism services. If im-  than 29 million inbound visi-
            state’s  tourism  ecosystem  to  provide   will offer end-to-end travel assistance   plemented successfully, the project
            travellers with customised itineraries,   by providing personalised recommen-  is expected to strengthen Andhra   tors in 2025.
            multilingual support, real-time rec-  dations based on user preferences,   Pradesh’s competitiveness in India’s
            ommendations and seamless access to   helping tourists discover lesser-known   tourism  landscape  and  establish  a   Initially, the pilot is available
            destinations, accommodation, trans-  attractions alongside popular destina-  model for digital  transformation  in   in selected markets such as India,
            port and local experiences.       tions. The platform is also expected to   the sector.               Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan,
                Officials  said  the  platform  will   support local businesses by increasing   The government said additional   Bangladesh and Mexico, with a wider
            leverage advanced analytics to im-  their digital visibility and connecting   AI-enabled features and partnerships   global rollout expected in the coming
            prove tourist engagement while en-  them with a wider visitor base.  will be introduced in phases as part   months. Travel packages currently
            abling authorities to make informed   The initiative aligns with Andhra   of its long-term roadmap to build a   begin at around SAR 4,000, covering
            policy decisions based on visitor   Pradesh’s vision of leveraging emerg-  smart, sustainable and globally com-  flights, accommodation, visa process-
            trends.                           ing technologies to accelerate eco-  petitive tourism ecosystem.    ing and curated tourism experiences.

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