Foreign Tourist Arrivals to India and Indians going abroad witness steady growth post-COVID-19 pandemic
The figures, provided by Minister of Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, reveal a strong rebound in both inbound and outbound travel following the COVID-19 slump.
India received 99.5 lakh foreign tourists in 2024, a significant increase from 64.4 lakh in 2022 and approaching the pre-pandemic high of 1.09 crore in 2019.
Meanwhile, Indian outbound tourism has surged, with 3.08 crore Indians travelling abroad in 2024, up from 2.78 crore in 2023, and surpassing the 2019 figure of 2.69 crore.
Among the top contributors to India's tourism in 2024 were the United States with 18.04 lakh tourists, followed by Bangladesh (17.5 lakh) and the United Kingdom (10.2 lakh).
Other notable countries showing strong arrival numbers included Australia (5.18 lakh), Canada (4.76 lakh), and Sri Lanka (2.81 lakh). A few countries showed substantial recovery and even growth post-pandemic, such as Japan (1.94 lakh) and Germany (2.56 lakh).
On the other hand, Indian nationals traveling abroad reached new highs.
The UAE remained the top destination in 2024 with 77.8 lakh Indian travellers, followed by Saudi Arabia (34.2 lakh) and the United States (21.4 lakh).
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