Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India: Trends, Growth, and Key Insights 2024
India recorded 9.24 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2023, marking an impressive 43.5% growth compared to 6.44 million arrivals in 2022. The momentum continues in 2024, with 4.77 million foreign tourists visiting India in the first half (January–June) alone.
This growth highlights India’s strong rebound in tourism, especially when considering the significant jump from just 1.52 million foreign arrivals in 2021 to 6.44 million in 2022. As one of the top travel destinations globally, India continues to attract millions of international tourists with its rich culture, heritage, and diverse experiences.
As per latest reports from Ministry of tourism, in 2024 from January to August, 6.91 million(69.1 lacs) of foreign tourist arrived in India.
Top source countries for foreign tourists in India.
Bangladesh is the top Source for tourist arrivals in India followed by United states of America and UK.
Foreign tourist arrival in August-2024
| Rank | Country | % share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh | 15.59% |
| 2 | USA | 14.95% |
| 3 | UK | 10.33% |
| 4 | Sri-Lanka | 4.66% |
| 5 | Australia | 3.95% |
Other countries include Germany, Canada, Nepal, Singapore and Malesia.
Foreign tourist arrival in January to August-2024
| Rank | Country | % share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh | 20.77% |
| 2 | USA | 17.41% |
| 3 | UK | 10.08% |
| 4 | Canada | 4.33% |
| 5 | Australia | 4.14% |
Other countries include Germany, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Singapore and Malesia.
Purpose of tourist arrival in 2024
44.77 % of tourist arrived in India in first half of 2024 for Leisure Holiday and Recreation activities.
- Leisure Holiday and Recreation(44.77%)
- Indian Diaspora(26.73%)
- Business and Professional(10.68%)
- Unknown(8.92%)
- Medical(7.72%)
- Student(0.6%)
- Other(0.54%)
- Pilgrimage(0.03%)
Gender wise distribution of Foreign tourist arrival in India (2024)
More male tourist prefer to visit India in comparison of Female tourist.
August 2024
- Male- 57.31%
- Female- 42.68%
- others – 0.01%
January to August (2024)
- Male- 57.42%
- Female- 42.57%
- others – 0.01%
Most Populated countries in the World: Full list
Top cities for foreign tourist arrival in India
Delhi is the most visited city in 2024 by foreign tourist. followed by Mumbai and Haridaspur which is 70 km from Kolkata and welcomes tourist from Bangladesh.
| Rank | City(entry point) | % share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delhi | 31.23% |
| 2 | Mumbai | 14.95% |
| 3 | Haridaspur | 9.05% |
| 4 | Chennai | 8.71% |
| 5 | Bengaluru | 6.78% |
Tourism In India has grown significantly but still lagging behind the pre Pandemic level in 2019.
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