Foreign tourist arrivals in India remains below pre-pandemic level, shows Economic Survey

• India's 2024 foreign tourist arrivals 8% below pre-pandemic levels
• Domestic tourism rose to 2.9 billion visits in 2024, up from 2.5 billion in 2023.
• Govt initiatives and better connectivity boost tourism in Tier 2 and 3 cities

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Foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) continue to remain below pre-pandemic levels, according to the Economic Survey tabled in the Parliament on January 29.

At 10 million in 2024, FTAs are down by around 8 percent from 10.9 million in 2019.

FTAs also declined by about 11.8 percent during January-October 2025 at 7 million relative to the same period of the previous year at 7.9 million. This is in line with trends seen in the broader Asia-Pacific region and is also on account of growth weakness and political turmoil in key source destinations, the Survey added.

On the other hand, International Tourist Arrivals (ITAs), including foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) and arrivals of non-resident Indians (NRIs), rose to 20.57 million in 2024, up 8.9 percent over 2023 and 14.8 percent above pre-pandemic levels (2019).

Domestic tourism remained the backbone of India's tourism sector. Domestic tourist arrivals reached 2.9 billion in 2024, up from 2.5 billion in 2023. Domestic visits during the January-September 2025 period reached 3.3 billion, up from 2.2 billion in 2024 during the same period.

In terms of air traffic, overall air passenger traffic in FY25 increased by 9.4 percent, reaching 411.8 million passengers, driven by broad-based demand from both domestic and international travellers.

However, a softening of momentum was observed during April-November 2025, when overall passenger traffic increased by 3.5 percent (Year-on-Year), reflecting flight disruptions and short-term demand adjustments in the domestic passenger segment. During this period, domestic passenger traffic moderated to 2.6 percent, while international passenger traffic recorded a relatively strong growth of 7.3 percent, despite subdued foreign tourist arrivals.

High-frequency hospitality indicators suggest sustained momentum, driven by domestic tourism, with hotel occupancy rates consistently exceeding 60 percent in recent years.

The Survey said that realising tourism potential in different regions and converting it into sustained economic outcomes depends critically on implementation capacity at the state and local levels.

Experiences across states underscore the importance of administrative capacity and coordination across districts. Gujarat’s infrastructure-led and event-based tourism initiatives illustrate the gains from coordinated planning and execution across departments, while Kerala’s state-led destination management and community participation supported an ecologically appropriate and responsible tourism model.

Sikkim’s focus on sustainability and regulated visitor numbers illustrates how effective regulation and community involvement can preserve destination quality while supporting steady tourism growth.

In high-footfall cities such as Varanasi, large-scale investments in urban infrastructure through schemes like the Kashi development programme highlight the role of strengthened municipal capacity in crowd management, sanitation, and last-mile connectivity.

In recent years, the Central Government has strengthened the tourism framework by prioritising experience-based and sustainable destination development. Schemes such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, the Challenge-Based Destination Development initiative, and continued investments under PRASHAD have shifted the focus towards thematic, visitor-centric tourism. These efforts have been complemented by initiatives such as 'Dekho Apna Desh' and 'Incredible India', as well as improved visa facilitation and expanded regional air connectivity under UDAN, which have boosted tourism demand, particularly for lesser-known Tier 2 and Tier 3 destinations.