Tourism rebounds with uptick in visits by NRIs

INDIA'S inbound tourism has staged a significant comeback in 2024, with international tourist arrivals (ITAs) climbing to 2.05 crore, marking an 8.9% rise over last year and a 14.8 % jump compared to 2019, the last pre-pandemic benchmark year.

- PARVEZ SULTAN @New Delhi

According to the ‘India Tourism Data Compendium 2025’ released by the Ministry of Tourism on Saturday, foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) stood at 99.5 lakh, reflecting a 4.5 % increase over 2023 but still trailing 2019 levels by nearly 9%. The rebound was powered by nonresident Indians (NRIs). Their arrivals surged to 1.06 crore in 2024, a 13.2% year-on-year increase and a remarkable 52% rise over pre-pandemic numbers.

The compendium provides key highlights and insights into India’s tourism sector for the year. The year 2020 marked a significant downturn due to the Covid 19 pandemic, with FTAs declining by 74.93% to 27.4 lakh. A gradual recovery was logged in subsequent years, with FTAs rebounding sharply to 64 lakh in 2022 and reaching 99.5 lakh in 2024, reflecting a 4.52% rise from 2023.