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Visa and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) have announced plans to explore a collaboration focused on tourism discovery and digital commerce in India. The two organisations announced the move at the Global Fintech Festival 2026.
The proposed collaboration aims to help travellers find destinations, tourism experiences, itineraries and local businesses through digital channels. Visa and ONDC plan to assess how Visa's digital commerce and discovery capabilities can work with ONDC's open network infrastructure.
The initiative will focus on making tourism information easier to access while connecting travellers with businesses and service providers across India.
Visa and ONDC will explore ways to use open network technology, trusted digital commerce and digital tools to improve how travellers search for tourism services. The proposed system could allow users to discover cities, attractions, travel plans and businesses through connected digital services.
Visa Group Country Manager for India and South Asia Suresh Sethi said open networks have become an important part of India's digital development. He said travellers increasingly expect digital tools that can help them plan journeys and find relevant experiences.
“Tourism can be a very important asset where ONDC can serve as the digital infrastructure for tourism in the country,” Sethi said at the Global Fintech Festival 2026.
He also said digital agents are increasingly being used to build travel plans and help users discover services. According to Sethi, a tourism network could bring information about cities, travel itineraries, experiences and small businesses into a connected digital system.
“Everything related to tourism, whether discovering experiences, cities or travel itineraries, as well as small and medium businesses of the ecosystem can potentially be housed in one place,” he said.
ONDC said tourism forms part of its wider effort to create digital markets for sellers while giving buyers more choices. The network already operates across sectors including retail, financial services and logistics.
Hrushikesh Mehta, Chief Business Officer for Financial Services at ONDC, said the network has processed more than 500 million lifetime transactions. He said ONDC now sees tourism as another area where its open commerce model could connect buyers with service providers.
“At ONDC, our North Star is creating markets for sellers and choice for buyers, whether it is in retail, financial services, logistics or tourism,” Mehta said.
ONDC also has support from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for the development of its tourism track, according to Mehta. However, he said the network also needs stronger participation from the demand side.
“We are very keen to work with Visa to see what we can do together to make that happen and help connect travellers with the diverse experiences that India has to offer,” he said.
Under the proposed collaboration, Visa and ONDC will examine ways to connect travellers with tourism providers across different destinations and regions. The companies will also assess how digital discovery tools can make local tourism businesses easier to find.
The approach could cover travel experiences, destination information, itineraries and services offered by small and medium businesses. It may also provide another digital channel for tourism operators that participate in ONDC's open network.
Visa would contribute its digital commerce and discovery capabilities, while ONDC would provide its open network infrastructure. The organisations have not announced a launch date or detailed rollout plan.
For now, the initiative remains at the exploration stage. Visa and ONDC will evaluate possible models for tourism discovery and digital commerce as they consider how the network could serve domestic and international travellers across India.
