Tourism policy has evolved from promoting footfall to regulating it, and now toward governance that tackles crowding, climate risk, and community effects. India’s National Tourism Policy 2022 signals a shift towards a green economy, prioritising green tourism. It advances destination management, resource-use measurement and reporting, standards, and certification. This article assesses the implementation and implications for destinations, businesses, and residents, including dampening resource-intensive peaks, increasing yield per visitor, and retaining more value locally. I found that the focus of the policy moves from tracking arrivals to improving visit quality, safeguarding ecosystems, enhancing liveability, and distributing demand as policy success becomes outcomes-based, emphasising sustainability, resilience, equity, and accountability.