Tourism to double to ₹42 tn by '35 on domestic demand

In 2024, tourism contributed ₹21 tn or 6.6% of GDP, with international visitor spending hitting a record ₹3.1 trillion

- Varuni Khosla

Travel and tourism will contribute almost ₹42 trillion and about 64 million jobs to India's economy by 2035, but the country will need to invest more heavily in infrastructure and destination marketing to stay competitive and maintain the growth momentum in the sector, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) said.

The sector has bounced back, with international visitor spending touching an all-time high of ₹3.1 trillion in 2024, beating pre-pandemic levels, according to new data from WTTC. Domestic travellers pushed total spending to ₹15.5 trillion in 2024, up 22% from 2019, the council's Economic Impact Research show.