NEW DELHI: Tourist influx to India from abroad peaked in 2023. International tourist arrivals (ITAs) reached the 188.9-lakh mark surpassing the previous record of 179.1 lakh in 2019, according to the tourism ministry.
This means international tourist footfall exceeded pre-pandemic level in 2023, registering a 5.47 per cent growth.
India Tourism Data Compendium 2024 released by the ministry recently stated that with the tourism sector reviving after the Covid hiatus, 95.2 lakh foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) were recorded in 2023, achieving 87.09 per cent of pre-pandemic level.
FTAs witnessed a significant growth in 10 years reaching 109.3 lakh in 2019 before the pandemic hit the sector. The ministry’s provisional data also indicates FTAs in India reached 96.6 lakh in 2024. FTAs are a subset of ITAs under which short stays for leisure or holiday purposes are counted. ITAs comprise anyone including NRIs entering India on a foreign passport irrespective of their purpose for visit.
As per the data of the states and UTs submitted to the ministry, there were 25,091.3 lakh domestic tourist visits (DTVs) in the country in 2023.
“India has strengthened its position in global tourism, accounting for 1.45 per cent of total international arrivals and 2.1 per cent of worldwide tourism receipts. India ranks 39th in the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024,” read the document.
The top 10 ITA source countries are France, Spain, US, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, UK, Germany, Greece, and Austria.
In 2023, NRI arrivals surged to 93.8 lakh in 2023 marking an 18.9 per cent increase from 2022 and exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 34.38 per cent. South Asia contributed the largest share of FTAs (29.02%), followed by North America (21.82%) and Western Europe (20.40%).
The top 10 source markets were Bangladesh, US, UK, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Germany, Nepal, and France, accounting for 70.06% of total FTAs.
The ministry said the tourism sector is one of the fastest growing economic sectors with a significant impact on employment. As per the 3rd Tourism Satellite Account, the share of tourism jobs in India during 2022-23 is 12.57 per cent. The tourism sector contributes 5 per cent of India’s gross domestic product (GDP).