Boom after the pandemic… then a break, huge decline in foreign tourists, what are the figures?

The past few times have been full of ups and downs for the tourism sector in India. After the end of the restrictions of the Corona epidemic, while on one hand Indian tourism created a new history in the year 2024 and welcomed a record number of foreign tourists, on the other hand, the latest figures are now showing some worrying signs. According to the data presented in Parliament by the Tourism Ministry, the pace at which the number of foreign tourists (International Tourist Arrivals – ITA) had increased now seems to be slowing down.

Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in reply to a written question in the Lok Sabha that the number of international tourists visiting India in 2024 has broken all records before the pandemic. There were 17.91 million tourist arrivals in 2019, while this figure is projected to reach 20.57 million (provisional) in 2024, an increase of 14.82%. However, provisional figures for 2025 have put a halt to this boom and a decline in international tourists.

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Comparison of figures for 2024 and 2025

According to data released by the Ministry of Tourism, the total number of tourists visiting India in the year 2024 was 2,05,68,622, which showed an increase of 8.9% compared to 2023. But preliminary and provisional figures for the year 2025 are giving evidence of slowing down of this pace. The number of tourists has decreased to 2,00,85,644 in the year 2025. This is a decline of -2.4% compared to the previous year (2024). This decline is contrary to expectations that the tourism sector would continue to expand.

What are the possible reasons for the decline?

It is believed that there are many reasons behind this slight decline in the tourism sector. International economic pressures, rising airfares and geopolitical tensions in some areas have impacted travel plans. Apart from this, many competing countries have started vigorous campaigns to promote the tourism sector, due to which tourist interest has decreased.

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What is the government’s plan?

The government is not sitting idly by to woo foreign tourists. The Ministry has clarified that publicity campaigns are being run on a large scale to increase India’s penetration in potential tourist markets. Under this, ‘Tourism Road-Shows’ are being organized in major countries and India is registering its presence in international travel trade exhibitions and fairs. Also, ‘Introduction Tours’ are being organized for foreign tour operators, media houses and social media influencers to have a first-hand experience of India’s tourist destinations and to promote them.