The PATA India Chapter has announced the 4th edition of the PATA India Tourism PowerHouse, to be presented by the Inder Sharma Foundation with support from the Ministry of Tourism, scheduled for 8 January 2026 at ITC Maurya, New Delhi. Over the years, the Tourism PowerHouse has emerged as one of India’s most credible platforms for tourism policy dialogue, global benchmarking and strategic knowledge exchange.
The 2026 edition will be held under the theme “Accelerating Tourism for Tomorrow: Powered by Data and Knowledge”, reflecting the growing importance of evidence-based decision-making, analytics and global intelligence in shaping India’s tourism growth trajectory. The forum comes at a time when India is sharpening its tourism ambitions towards 2030, with a stronger focus on competitiveness, resilience and sustainable destination development.
The Tourism PowerHouse brings together senior policymakers, global tourism experts, destination leaders and private sector decision-makers to enable informed discussions on the future of Indian tourism. The continued association of the Inder Sharma Foundation reinforces the late Inder Sharma’s long-standing belief that India’s tourism potential can be unlocked through global learning, objective data and strategic thinking.
This year’s programme will feature key voices from both government and global institutions. PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid and Mr. Suman Billa, Additional Secretary and Director General, Ministry of Tourism, will anchor the discussions, alongside an international faculty of tourism thought leaders including Dr. Senthil Gopinath, Prof. Haiyan Song, Olivier Ponti, Anita Mendiratta, Alan Merschen, Matt Gibson, Ludwig Rieder and Narzalina Lim.
Beyond dialogue, the Tourism PowerHouse is designed to deliver clear strategic outcomes. These include global knowledge transfer for Indian tourism stakeholders, policy support to the Ministry of Tourism on areas such as aviation, crisis management, technology adoption and destination competitiveness, and capacity building for state tourism boards. A key focus will be helping states benchmark their tourism strategies against international best practices.
The platform also aims to strengthen public–private collaboration, enhance the global visibility of Brand Incredible India, and support coordinated growth of tourism to, from and within India. By aligning data, knowledge and policy, the Tourism PowerHouse 2026 seeks to contribute meaningfully to India’s long-term tourism development agenda.
