Inbound and outbound tourism involving India has witnessed a robust rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic, with several destinations surpassing pre-pandemic levels, The Indian Express reported.
According to data shared in the Rajya Sabha by Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, India welcomed 99.5 lakh foreign tourists in 2024, up sharply from 64.4 lakh in 2022 and nearing the 2019 peak of 1.09 crore.
The United States topped the list of source countries, sending 18.04 lakh visitors, followed by Bangladesh (17.5 lakh) and the United Kingdom (10.2 lakh). Other major contributors included Australia (5.18 lakh), Canada (4.76 lakh), and Sri Lanka (2.81 lakh). Countries like Japan (1.94 lakh) and Germany (2.56 lakh) also showed notable post-pandemic recovery, reports The Indian Express
Outbound travel by Indian nationals hit a record 3.08 crore departures in 2024, up from 2.78 crore in 2023 and well above the 2019 figure of 2.69 crore. The UAE remained the top draw, attracting 77.8 lakh Indians, followed by Saudi Arabia (34.2 lakh), the US (21.4 lakh), Thailand (19.1 lakh), and Singapore (15.3 lakh).
Emerging hotspots such as Vietnam, Australia, and Indonesia recorded impressive gains. Vietnam saw Indian arrivals surge from 1.23 lakh in 2022 to nearly 4 lakh in 2024, while Australian arrivals rose from 4.89 lakh to 6.61 lakh in the same period.
The Ministry of Tourism noted that in 2024, foreign tourists arrived in India from more than 65 countries, while Indian travellers visited over 65 international destinations, underlining India’s growing role in global travel flows.
However, not all markets have recovered. China, which sent 3.39 lakh tourists to India in 2019, recorded just 38,960 in 2024, while arrivals from Afghanistan plunged from over one lakh to just about 1,200 in the same period.
The data points to a clear upward trajectory for India’s tourism sector, though geopolitical and economic factors continue to shape recovery in some markets.