India's Inbound Tourism on the Rise: Jan-June Stats Reveal Strong Growth

Foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India from January to June reached nearly 4.78 million, with Bangladesh and the US being the primary source countries, the Ministry of Tourism reported. Though inbound tourism is trailing pre-pandemic levels, foreign exchange earnings have increased, indicating higher per-person spending.

New data from the Ministry of Tourism reveals that India welcomed nearly 4.78 million foreign tourists from January to June, with the majority coming from Bangladesh and the United States. Despite recovering from the pandemic slump, inbound tourism has yet to meet pre-pandemic levels.

Foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in June 2024 were 7,06,045 compared to 6,48,008 in June 2023, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 9%. However, the figures represent a 2.8% decline relative to June 2019. For the January-June period of 2024, FTAs grew by 9.1% over 2023 but fell by 9.8% compared to January-June 2019.

In contrast to the stagnation in tourist numbers, foreign exchange earnings surged, with USD 15.339 billion earned in the first half of 2024—a 17.62% increase over the same period in 2023. Experts remain optimistic that inbound tourism figures will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024.

(With inputs from agencies.)