TOURIST ARRIVALS IN '25 SET TO DISAPPOINT

It is shaping up to be another difficult year for India's tourism industry. Foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) have struggled in the first nine months and may once again fall short of pre-pandemic levels. The reasons are familiar-high costs compared with peer destinations, inadequate infrastructure, and lingering concerns around safety.

- BY NANDITA VENKATESAN & PRAGYA SRIVASTAVA

This year additional factors are expected to keep foreign tourist numbers subdued. First, a sharp fall in arrivals from Bangladesh, a key market, following political instability there. Second, the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, this year. Third, disruptions in flight operations due to IndiGo cancellations. All this comes at a time when several South-East Asian countries have seen strong growth in foreign tourist numbers.

POTENTIAL PAUSED

INDIA RECORDED a 12% decline in foreign tourist arrivals in the first nine months of the year (January September), compared to the previous year. The number stood at 6.18 million, according to the latest data shared in the Lok Sabha earlier this month.

Usually, FTAs in the last quarter account for 30% of the total arrivals, buoyed by the holiday and vacation season. If these past trends are anything to go by, the year may end with 8.7-8.8 million foreign tourist arrivals. This will be lower than 10 million in 2024 and the pre-pandemic levels of 10.9 million in 2019.