From Mussoorie Ghost Walks To Kolkata Street Photography: Tourism Ministry Launches 350 Guided Tours Across India

India's travel experiences are increasingly moving beyond the usual sightseeing checklists, with travellers looking for ways to understand destinations through their history, culture and local communities. In a new push to make such experiences easier to discover and plan, the Ministry of Tourism has partnered with MakeMyTrip to offer more than 350 guided tours across over 60 cities on its platform. 

The initiative offers locally led experiences such as heritage and food trails, cycling tours, craft workshops and immersive cultural walks, with prices starting at Rs 500.

More Than 350 Guided Experiences Across India

The partnership is aimed at encouraging Indians to explore the country's diverse tourism offerings under the broader vision of 'Incredible India' and 'Dekho Apna Desh'.

While guided walks and locally led experiences have long been popular with travellers, many have traditionally been difficult to discover or book in advance. Travellers often had to rely on local recommendations, on-arrival bookings or add-on experiences with limited information about pricing and availability.

The new catalogue seeks to bring these experiences onto a single booking platform, allowing travellers to plan them as part of their trips.

From Tea Estates To Ghost Walks

The experiences cover a wide range of interests and travel styles.

In Palampur, travellers can take part in a tea-tasting session across the region's tea estates, while Agra offers experiences combining a heritage play with a kite-flying display.

In Mussoorie, visitors can explore the hill town's colonial-era lanes after dark on The Mussoorie Ghost's Walk. 
In Varanasi, the Sacred Ganges Immersion experience combines an early-morning view of the Ganges with an evening Ganga Aarti.

The line-up also focuses on everyday life and local communities. Travellers can join a Kolkata Street Photography Tour, explore a village in Saligao, Goa, with high tea at a local home, or participate in a hands-on block-printing session with artisans in Jaipur.

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Cycling, Dharavi And Other Offbeat Experiences

The catalogue also includes experiences that go beyond conventional sightseeing. In Goa, travellers can explore Salvador Do Mundo on an electric cycle tour, while Mumbai offerings include an experience covering Dharavi, Dhobi Ghat, the city's dabbawallas and the Gateway of India.

Across the 60-plus destinations, the experiences are available in different formats, including walking tours, cycling experiences, vehicle-based excursions and multi-day tours. Prices start at Rs 500.

The catalogue is also expected to expand, bringing more experiences from different parts of the country onto the platform.

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What The Ministry Of Tourism Said

Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said local guides, experts and communities are central to India's tourism ecosystem. He said the partnership would allow them to reach travellers directly and share the stories of India's destinations. "I call upon every traveller to return not just as a visitor, but as a storyteller who carries a piece of India's heritage back to the world," Shekhawat said.

MakeMyTrip Executive Director and Group CEO Rajesh Magow said the partnership was intended to make India's lesser-known stories easier for travellers to discover and book, while placing guides and local experts at the centre of the experience.