West Bengal Emerges as a Top Destination for Foreign Tourists

For two consecutive years, the state of West Bengal has recorded the third-highest number of Foreign Tourist Visits (FTVs) in the country.

- Debajyoti Chakraborty

Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, recently released the latest data on FTVs for 2022 and 2023.

In 2022, India saw a total of 85.87 lakh foreign tourists, while the figure surged to 1.92 crore in 2023. This dramatic increase has been attributed to the resumption of international commercial flight operations and the reopening of borders following their closure during the global Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the data, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and West Bengal emerged as the top three states in foreign tourist arrivals for both years. West Bengal welcomed approximately 10.37 lakh foreign tourists in 2022, a number that grew significantly to 27.06 lakh in 2023.

Maharashtra received 15.12 lakh foreign visitors in 2022, increasing to 33.87 lakh in 2023. Similarly, Gujarat recorded 17.77 lakh foreign tourists in 2022, which rose to 28.07 lakh the following year.