Despite extensive cultural and natural attractions, India is struggling to attract foreign tourists. According to a Bloomberg report, the number of foreign visitors to India last year decreased by 8.1%, reaching 91.5 thousand people.
This figure is significantly lower than the level of 10.9 million people in 2019, representing a drop of approximately 16%. Notably, Albania, a country with a population of less than 3 million people, had more foreign tourists than India.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, about half of the 91.5 thousand foreign guests who visited India last year came from North America and Europe. Experts and representatives of the tourism industry cited several reasons for the weakness of foreign tourism figures in India, including fraud, safety issues, transportation difficulties, and complicated visa procedures.
KC Volanth first visited India in 2015 with her mother. Shortly after arriving in New Delhi, they encountered a problem: at an office they mistook for a government tourism agency, they were asked for identification documents and money. It soon turned out that this establishment had no connection to the government.
Volanth recounted that it quickly became clear to them that it was not related to the state. Her mother contacted a friend in America, who advised them to leave immediately. They left the place without losing money and later independently purchased train tickets. In the following weeks, they traveled to the Taj Mahal, Rajasthan, Varanasi, and Rishikesh. Currently, 34-year-old Volanth lives in Annapolis, Maryland, USA, and has visited India four times.
India's tourism industry is now actively focusing on domestic travelers. Last year, domestic travel increased by 46%, reaching 429 billion rupees, almost double the pre-pandemic level. This growth is driven by increased household income, improved infrastructure, and growing interest in visiting religious sites. This shift has also led to an increase in travel costs for foreign tourists and prompted the industry to adapt its services to the needs of Indian citizens.
The depreciation of the rupee has made overseas trips more expensive for Indians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also urged citizens to spend their travel budgets within the country.
Weak foreign tourism figures are also negatively affecting tourism revenue. A report published in June by the government's analytical center, the National Institute of Policy (NITI Aayog), indicated that India's foreign tourism revenue of $35 billion lags even behind small tourist markets such as Turkey, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. This occurs despite the fact that, according to the report, India possesses a much greater diversity of 'cultural, natural, and experiential' tourism.
Some officials associated with the tourism industry note that the figure of 91.5 thousand may overestimate the actual number of tourists, as it includes people coming to India for other reasons, such as medical treatment or visiting relatives. Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, believes that the actual number of foreign tourists vacationing in India is only around 20–30 thousand.