IRCTC seeks agency to monetise advertising on its digital platforms

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has invited e-tender for an agency to handle advertising on IRCTC Indian Railway Websites and Mobile Apps for a period of three years. 

The tender seeks to appoint a single licensee to monetise advertising inventory across IRCTC’s high-traffic digital platforms, including its website and mobile applications. These platforms collectively witness millions of daily users, driven largely by railway ticket bookings, catering services and tourism-related transactions, making them a lucrative proposition for advertisers.

IRCTC has also issued a corrigendum to its ongoing e-tender for granting sole advertising rights across its digital assets, extending the last date for submission of bids to April 10, 2026.

With the extension, interested bidders now have additional time to evaluate the opportunity and submit their proposals. The move is expected to widen participation and enhance competitive bidding for the mandate.

The scope of the contract includes end-to-end management of digital advertising across IRCTC-owned platforms. This typically covers ad sales, inventory management, deployment of ad-tech solutions, and ensuring compliance with IRCTC’s content and user experience guidelines. 

Given the scale and frequency of user interactions on the platform, the mandate is likely to attract major media buying agencies, ad-tech firms and digital media specialists.

This development also follows IRCTC’s earlier move to expand its non-core revenue streams through the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) segment. The corporation had floated a separate tender for the selection of MICE agencies and agents to market and execute its MICE business offerings. The initiative is aimed at leveraging IRCTC’s extensive network and hospitality infrastructure to tap into the growing demand for corporate travel and event management services.