In a landmark double celebration, the Government of India marked 70 years of service by The Ashok and the 60th anniversary of the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) at a grand event in New Delhi.
Commissioned in 1956, The Ashok remains India’s only PSU-managed five-star luxury hotel and a cornerstone of diplomatic, MICE and luxury hospitality. Established in 1966, ITDC has played a pioneering role in shaping India’s tourism infrastructure and hospitality standards.
Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated a series of initiatives reflecting ITDC’s technology-led transformation aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. Key launches included a commemorative postage stamp, a coffee-table book titled The Ashok Recipe Book, a digital QR-enabled postcard, and a promotional film highlighting the property’s heritage and scale.
ITDC also introduced an online booking portal for government and PSU clients, signed an MoU with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to train 1,500 tribal homestay operators, and released the Sound and Light Shows Manual 2026 to standardise immersive heritage experiences nationwide.
The celebration underscored ITDC’s shift toward a governance-driven, technology-enabled, experience-centric hospitality model, blending legacy assets with digital innovation to strengthen India’s tourism ecosystem.
