OneTAC Introduces Community-Led Udupi Experience Circuit Under Incredible India

OneTAC (Tourism, Arts & Culture), India’s flagship digital public infrastructure for the experience economy, launched its first Experience Circuit in Udupi at the Bangalore Tech Summit today. The launch was graced by Prashant Prakash, Chair of the Karnataka Vision Group on Startups and Partner at Accel, and Dr. Trilok Chandra, IAS, Secretary – Tourism, Government of Karnataka. The initiative is formally endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, under the national Incredible India campaign.

A Collaborative Ecosystem to Power the Experience Economy

The OneTAC Udupi Experience Circuit is anchored by a strong coalition of partners: CulKey Foundation, leading culture, placemaking, and local ecosystem development.Samhita, which drives livelihoods, impact measurement, and community mobilisation; GoodPass, providing discovery and distribution technology for the last mile of travel; RubiX, serving as the supplier aggregation platform for experience entrepreneurs; Paradise Group, offering hospitality, on-ground logistics, and tourism operations.

Together, the partners are creating a scalable, replicable model for community-led tourism powered by public digital infrastructure—strengthening micro-entrepreneurs, artisans, guides, performers, and hyper-local experience creators.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Prashant Prakash, Chair, Karnataka Vision Group on Startups & Partner at Accel said: “Tourism and culture are powerful engines of inclusive growth. OneTAC brings a true DPI mindset to empower local creators and position Karnataka as a leader in experiential tourism. It is not just a platform — it is digital public infrastructure for India’s cultural and experience economy.For the first time, creators, artisans, and communities share a digital backbone that makes their knowledge discoverable, their craft verifiable, and their livelihoods scalable. When cultural richness meets open, interoperable technology, we unlock an entirely new category of inclusive growth for the state and the country.”

Introducing the First OneTAC Cohort in Udupi

The inaugural Udupi Experience Circuit launches with 20 experience entrepreneurs and service providers across 6 unique experience segments, featuring over 15 curated trails. Over the next 180 days, even more circuits, creators, and trails will be added, steadily expanding the ecosystem across Udupi and the wider Coastal Karnataka region.

Dr. Trilok Chandra, IAS, Secretary – Tourism, Government of Karnataka, noted:

“Launching OneTAC with Udupi Circuit reflects our commitment to community-led tourism and cultural revival. OneTAC strengthens Karnataka’s creative economy and global appeal by giving our culture a powerful digital foundation. As we prepare to launch the Karnataka Centre for Cultural Diplomacy (KCCD), we aim to position Karnataka’s culture as a bridge between the State and the world. KCCD will showcase our art, heritage, folk traditions, and cuisine on global platforms, deepen engagement with foreign missions, and attract international travellers through cultural exchange. Together, initiatives like OneTAC and KCCD will empower local artists, performers, and cultural entrepreneurs, helping Karnataka build a future-ready, inclusive, and globally connected tourism ecosystem.”

Why Udupi? A Living Cultural & Natural Circuit

Udupi is the ideal starting point for OneTAC because it brings together an extraordinary blend of cultural heritage, ecological richness, and creative entrepreneurship — from its temple traditions, Daiva worship, and sacred sites to the vibrancy of Yakshagana theatre and folk arts. It is home to a thriving youth-led ocean culture shaped by surfing, scuba diving, and kayaking, while its backwaters, mangroves, and proximity to the Western Ghats offer exceptional biodiversity. Anchored by deep seafood and coastal cuisine traditions, Udupi uniquely embodies the spirit of a living, evolving cultural landscape — making it the perfect place to launch OneTAC.The region’s true strength lies in its experience entrepreneurs — folk artists, fisherfolk, artisans, performers, home chef’s , naturalists, sportspersons , storytellers, and young innovators who keep Udupi’s living culture vibrant.

Prathima Manohar, Director GoodPass, Paradise Group and Co-Curator of OneTAC Udupi Circuit added “The future of tourism won’t be driven by big business alone, but by Made-in-Local creators who reflect the soul of our communities. India must create 8 million jobs every year to become a developed economy, and that will happen only when opportunity reaches the grassroots. Udupi shows what’s possible when communities lead and technology becomes an enabler, not a barrier. Through OneTAC, we are investing in dignified livelihoods and building an inclusive economy where local entrepreneurs can thrive while protecting the cultural richness of our places.

Udupi Experience Circuit — Powered by OneTAC

At the launch at Bangalore Tech Summit, guests met creators and storytellers representing the lived culture, cuisine, craft, landscape, and rituals of Coastal Karnataka. From iconic dishes like neer dosa, prawn sukka, and puli munchi, to new-age entrepreneurs who transformed the coast into India’s surfing capital, Udupi’s identity is a blend of heritage and reinvention.  This is the land of Bhoota Kola, made globally visible through Kantara, and the gateway to the Western Ghats, one of the world’s great medicinal plant zones & biodiversity hotspots.These experiences cannot be commodified or mass-manufactured—they exist only in Udupi.

The Udupi Circuits span the full breadth of Coastal Karnataka’s culture and landscape — from Sacred Heritage & Temple Trails that trace Devi traditions, ancient temples, Daiva sthanas, and the Bahubali heritage paths, to Nature & Wilderness journeys through herping hotspots, turtle-hatching sites, mangrove ecosystems, forest-bathing trails, and the lush Western Ghats. They open up the Coastal Harvest & Culinary world with seafood market walks, conversations with fisherfolk, seasonal catch wisdom, hands-on crab hunting, and the region’s iconic flavours — from temple cuisine to prawn ghee roast and pundi. The Soul of Tulu Nadu Circuit immerses travellers in Kambala, Bhoota Kola, Yakshagana, folklore, and crafts, while the Ocean & Adventure Circuit brings surfing, kayaking, island escapes, and backwater explorations. Completing the tapestry is the Wellness & Heritage Circuit, offering traditional therapy centres, ayurveda treatments, and coastal healing traditions that embody the region’s timeless well-being culture. OneTAC ensures these experiences are discoverable, bookable, verifiable, and community-led, creating trust between travellers and local hosts.

OneTAC Impact Fund Announced

The community has greenlit the OneTAC Impact Fund — a joint initiative of the State Government and market partners to scale tourism operations for micro experience entrepreneurs  with a focus on livelihood generation.  Beginning with the Udupi experience entrepreneur cohort, the fund will expand to future OneTAC supplier cohorts across Karnataka and beyond.