Foreign tourist arrivals in India soared by a whopping 124 percent in 2023, reaching 1.92 crore, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Monday.
Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal were some of the key states where foreign tourists’ footfalls were high.
In 2022, the tourist inflow into India was 85 lakhs. The Ministry of Tourism has taken several steps/initiatives over the years to encourage more foreign tourists to visit India. The Ministry of Tourism under the schemes of ‘Swadesh Darshan’, ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ and ‘Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development’ provides financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations/ Central Agencies for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities at various tourism destinations in the country.
Through its various campaigns and events, the Ministry of Tourism promotes various tourism destinations and Indian products in domestic and international markets. Some initiatives are the Dekho Apna Desh campaign, the Chalo India campaign, the International Tourism Mart, and Bharat Parv.
The Incredible India Content Hub was launched, a comprehensive digital repository featuring a rich collection of high-quality images, films, brochures, and newsletters related to tourism in India. Promotions are also carried out through the Ministry’s website and social media handles. Thematic tourism, such as wellness tourism, culinary tourism, rural tourism, ecotourism, etc., amongst other niche subjects, is promoted to expand the scope of tourism into other sectors as well.
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Enhance the overall quality and visitor experience through initiatives focused on capacity building and skill development, such as ‘Capacity Building for Service Providers’, ‘Incredible India Tourist Facilitator’ (IITF), ‘Paryatan Mitra’, and ‘Paryatan Didi’. To improve air connectivity to important tourist destinations, the Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with the Ministry of Civil Aviation under their RCS-UDAN Scheme.
The minister apprised the Parliament that 53 tourism routes have been operationalized as of date. The e-Visa scheme is now available to 167 countries and has nine sub-categories: e-Tourist Visa, e-Business Visa, e-Medical Visa, eConference Visa, e-Medical Attendant Visa, e-Ayush Visa, e-Ayush Attendant Visa, e-Student Visa, and e-Student X Visa.
