Foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India from January to June stood at nearly 4.78 million, with Bangladesh and the US being the top two source countries, according to official data issued by the Ministry of Tourism.
The data sheet was shared on Friday on the occasion of the World Tourism Day and figures showed that inbound tourism in the country is trailing the pandemic levels.
The ministry shared the figures for the month of June as well as for the January-June period.
The FTAs in June 2024 were 7,06,045 as compared to 6,48,008 in June 2023 and 7,26,446 in June 2019 registering a growth of nine per cent and a fall of 2.8 per cent with respect to 2023 and 2019 respectively, according to the data.
"The FTAs during the period January-June 2024 were 47,78,374 as compared to 43,80,239 in January-June 2023 and 52,96,025 in January-June 2019, registering a growth of 9.1 per cent and minus 9.8 per cent with respect to 2023 and 2019 respectively," it added.
According to a data chart on the percentage share of FTAs in India during January-June 2024, the top five source countries were Bangladesh (21.55 per cent), the US (17.56 per cent), the UK (9.82 per cent), Canada (4.5 per cent) and Australia (4.32 per cent).
The FTA trend for June 2024 was similar with Bangladesh (28.49 per cent) occupying the first spot among the top five source countries, followed by the US (22.59 per cent), the UK (6.10 per cent), Australia (3.74 per cent) and Canada (3.01 per cent), as per the data shared by the ministry.
Leisure holiday and recreation formed the bulk of the segment in the FTAs when it came to the purpose of travelling.
Unprecedented student-led protests had begun in Bangladesh from July 1 which swelled into an uprising that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5.
Following the situation, India had halted full-fledged issuing of visas to the citizens from Bangladesh.
According to a report by Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics on Wednesday, inbound tourism in the country is trailing the pandemic levels as FTAs in January-June this year stood at 4.78 million, which is about 90 per cent of the first half of 2019.
However, forex earnings are up, indicating that per person arrival spending is more, it said.
The report said that the post-pandemic recovery in India's inbound tourism is lagging the global trend.
In comparison, globally, FTAs in the first seven months of 2024 were at 96 per cent of the pre-Covid levels of 2019, implying India is behind the curve, it added.
There were 10.93 million FTAs in India during pre-pandemic year in 2019.
In 2023, India received 9.24 million foreign tourists globally including countries from the Asia Pacific.
Further, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand and South Korea in the Asia Pacific Region are among the top 20 tourism source countries for India signifying the importance of the region as a source market for inbound tourism, the government informed the Parliament in July.
Of the total of 9.24 million foreign tourists, India received approximately 1.22 million tourists from these six countries of the Asia Pacific Region, it said.
However, many experts and former senior officials of the tourism ministry are optimistic that figures will return to the pre-pandemic level by the end of 2024.
"Yes, it will return to pre-pandemic levels as international travel is returning to normal levels. Geo-political tensions in Europe and Middle East, however, are negative factors, affecting faster return to normalcy," former Union Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh told PTI.
However, the foreign exchange earnings (FEE) figures have shown a rise for the month of June and the first six months period of 2024.
The FEE during the January-June period in 2024 were USD 15.339 billion as compared to USD 13.041 billion in January-June 2023, and USD 14.534 billion January-June 2019, registering a growth of 17.62 per cent and 5.54 per cent with respect to 2023 and 2019 respectively, the ministry data showed.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Departures (INDs) during the period of January-June 2024 were 1,50,22,731 as compared to 1,32,08,837 in January- June 2023 and 1,33,80,079 in January-June 2019, registering a growth of 13.73 per cent and 12.28 per cent with respect to 2023 and 2019 respectively, it said.
According to the Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics report, the Indian tourists are rapidly emerging as a significant growth engine for global tourism, accounting for 2.4 per cent of the global outbound market as of 2019.
The surge is largely driven by economic recovery, which is also playing out in tourism, it said.
Indians making multiple trips abroad, supported by rising disposable income that has made international travel more affordable and enhanced airline connectivity and streamlined visa processes that have made foreign destinations more accessible, the report said.
Changing travel preferences are also influencing outbound travel as demand for unique experiences such as wellness retreats and adventure trips is rising, it added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism on Friday also announced winners in the Best Tourism Villages Competition 2024.
The first edition of the competition in 2023 saw applications from 795 villages. In its second edition, a total of 991 applications were received from 30 states and UTs, out of which 36 villages were recognised as winners across eight categories of the Best Tourism Villages competition 2024, it said.
These 36 villages include Aru of Jammu and Kashmir (Adventure Tourism); Kumarakom of Kerala (Agri Tourism); Pranpur of Madhya Pradesh (Craft); Andro of Manipur (Heritage) and Tar village of Ladakh (Responsible Tourism).
Additionally, in a bid to engage and involve citizens in tourism development and growth, the Ministry of Tourism is introducing "mechanisms at airports and railway stations across the country", for tourists to provide their feedback on their visits to tourist attractions and destinations in India, it said.
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