Tourism In India

India received 6.19 million foreign tourists in 2022: Tourism minister

India received 6.19 million Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in 2022 as compared to 1.52 million during the same period in 2021, Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said Thursday. There were 10.93 million Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during the pre-pandemic year of 2019, Reddy said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. "Tourism Industry has shown good signs of revival after Covid-19 pandemic. According to the latest information received from the Bureau of Immigration, India received 6.19 million Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during 2022 as compared to 1.52 million during the same period of 2021," he said. He said that the ministry under its schemes such as Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Augmentation Drive , or PRASAD, provides financial assistance to state governments and Union Territories for the development of tourism-related infrastructure to enrich tourism experience for the visitors. He said his ministry has set up a 24x7 multi-lingual tourist

Revenge travel drives more visa applications from Kolkata; 85% of pre-covid

The visa application volume from Kolkata has reached 85 per cent of the pre-pandemic level as travellers from here give vent to revenge travel' made easier by the re-opening up of borders and easing of COVID restrictions, according to a visa outsourcing firm. Prabuddha Sen, Chief Operating Officer (South Asia) of VFS Global, said the volume showed a 160 per cent rise in 2022 as compared to 2021. This is higher than the Indian average as a whole. On a pan-India average, the volume of visa applications reached 80 per cent of the pre-pandemic level and witnessed a 140 per cent rise in 2022 when compared to 2021, he said. We witnessed unprecedented demand from India in 2022, which led to an extended peak outbound travel season with steady volumes witnessed until December. We are confident that the momentum will further grow, he said. Sen said the visa application volume from Kolkata generally witnesses two peaks during summer and Durga Puja but in 2022, the autumn peak extended well

Year-end travellers give Rajasthan tourism sector reason to cheer

It has been a "golden" Christmas-New Year week for Rajasthan's tourism sector, with hotels and resorts packed with visitors and the hospitality industry expecting high revenues, mitigating some of the losses it suffered due to Covid. The footfall of tourists in the state is the highest after the pandemic that broke out in 2020 and affected the sector in 2021 also. This time, with Covid-induced restrictions lifted, business is back on track, people associated with the tourism and hotel industry said. The flow of domestic travellers has been more than foreigners across cities such as Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer with people thronging sites of historical importance and national parks, they said. There are around 1,200 registered hotels in state capital Jaipur and most said they are booked, some even after charging inflated room tariffs. From Christmas eve, the last one week has been very busy for the travel trade in the state, tour operators said. The tourism season in ...

Subsidy, tax breather to boost MICE tourism industry in Rajasthan

On average 20-25 million tourists visit the desert state every year

Rajasthan govt implements new rural tourism scheme, promises jobs

Agriculture tourism units will be set up on farm land on areas ranging from 2,000 square metres to two hectares (one hectare is roughly 10,000 square metres)

E-Visa facility resumes again for UK nationals travelling to India

For the first time since March 2020, India is all set to resume the e-Visa facility for UK citizens travelling to India, the High Commissioner of India to the UK announced in a video message on Monday

Several projects in progress to make Jammu major tourist destination: CS

Several projects are being undertaken in Jammu to make it a major tourist destination and these include developing the Tawi riverfront and the city's heritage sites, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta said on Sunday. Mehta also visited sites of different works being taken up under the smart city project that are meant to add to the beauty and aesthetics of the city. "The face of Jammu is going to change for the better by June 2023. The city is fast changing its outlook and enhancing its value in terms of tourist appeal," the chief secretary said during his visit here. He said various projects along with those under progress would give a massive facelift to the city and it would emerge as a major tourist attraction. Mehta, at the Mubarak Mandi that used to be the royal residence of the Dogra rulers, enjoined upon officers to open the restored portions of the heritage buildings for the public by mid-December. He asked them to start at the complex cultural activities

Rural tourism to be based on culture, economic characteristics in Rajasthan

The government proposes to develop tourist accommodation facilities including home stay, drinking water, safety, internet connectivity, and caravan parks in partnership with private players.

Taj Mahal most ticketed ASI site for domestic tourists in FY22: Report

The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO world heritage site, was among the 10 most popular centrally-protected ticketed monuments for domestic visitors in 2021-22, according to a new report released by the Union Ministry of Tourism. While the Mughal-era mausoleum ranked first, the Red Fort and the Qutub Minar -- both UNESCO-recognised sites in Delhi -- were the second and third most visited sites, respectively, for the period. The over 280-page report titled 'India Tourism Statistics 2022' was released on Tuesday by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on World Tourism Day at an event here. The report said due to restrictions related to COVID-19, "the number of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2021 decreased to 1.52 million as compared to 2.74 million in 2020, registering a negative growth of 44.5 per cent". Sharing data about the footfall at various sites under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the report said the Taj Mahal was the most popular centrally-protected ticketed monum

Tourism to get affected as SC bans commercial activities around Taj Mahal

A Supreme Court order to stop commercial activities within 500 metres of the Taj Mahal has triggered a huge controversy that could create tension and uncertainty affecting the revival of tourism

Rajasthan govt plans to upgrade facilities in hotels owned by RTDC

Recently, chief minister Ashok Gehlot approved Rs 10 crore for the renovation of six hotels of RTDC

India's outbound tourism to surpass $42 billion by 2024, says report

Outbound trips from India will surpass USD 42 billion by 2024 and the government could bring about certain policy changes to boost this growing market, a report said. The report' titled 'Outbound Travel and Tourism - An Opportunity Untapped' by Nangia Andersen LLP in association with FICCI, highlights the up-and-coming Indian travel market and outline a framework for creating a more value for money experience for Indian tourists and travellers. To facilitate ease of doing business and promote the interests of Indian firms dealing in outbound travel the government could look at steps like increasing direct connections to popular and upcoming destinations, allowing foreign cruise vessels to operate on Indian waters, besides taking concerted and coordinated efforts on multiple fronts to propel the outbound tourism market, the report said. Nangia Andersen LLP Head - Government and Public Sector Advisory Suraj Nangia said Indian outbound tourism is going to surpass USD 42 billion by ...

Foreign tourist arrivals pick up, but still a long way behind 2019 levels

Govt spells out two-pronged strategy to improve numbers; but industry warns of low interest in India

AirAsia India Pay Day Sale brings affordable fares for domestic travel

AirAsia India has introduced a Pay Day sale with prices as low as Rs 1,499. The idea of the Pay Day sale is to make short aerial routes like Delhi-Jaipur affordable for all

Tourism back on track in Sikkim since lifting of Covid-19 restrictions

Tourism industry, the mainstay of Sikkim's economy, has got back on its feet since the lifting of the COVID 19-induced lockdown late last year, officials said. According to tourism department records, as many as 3.08 lakh domestic travellers visited the hill state between October last year and March 2022, with January being the most profitable month for various stakeholders of the sector at 98,456 visitors. "We have seen a massive growth of the tourism industry with the arrival of large number of visitors from across the country since late last year after the lockdown was lifted by the state government, a tourist department official told PTI. As far as foreigners' footfall is concerned, 6,055 people visited Sikkim during the period, he said. In 2019, the Himalayan state had recorded around 16 lakh tourist arrivals, and numbers, this year, too, are expected to rise over the course of the next few months, the officials said. Travel agents, after a lull for almost two years, have ..

Int'l air passenger traffic to India to hit 80-85% of pre-Covid level: Icra

The volume of such travellers has already touched 72 per cent of the pre-Covid level in May

Cool summer spots and travel deals for last-minute holiday planners

One thing about booking at the eleventh hour is the thrill of not knowing where you're going till the very last minute; also, you can get a good deal both at the hotel and the airline

Rajasthan govt accords industry status to tourism & hospitality sector

In the budget announcement in February, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said the tourism and hospitality sector will be granted industry status

Govt working on comprehensive national tourism policy: G Kishan Reddy

Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy on Sunday said that the government is working towards a comprehensive national tourism policy to give an impetus to the tourism industry. Addressing the last day of the two-day India International Cruise Conference here, Reddy also urged the industry stakeholders to prepare a road map for the development of the cruise tourism industry and asked them to create an action plan on cruise tourism in a mission-mode. The government is taking a slew of initiatives to promote river cruise tourism, which include river front development, increasing the number of cruise ships to 1,000, infrastructure development for water parks, among others, he said at the event hosted by the Ports, Shipping and Waterways Ministry in collaboration with industry body Ficci. During the day, as many as eight memorandum of understanding (MoUs) were signed between Mumbai Port Trust, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and various cruise services operators in

Over 32.79 lakh foreigners visited India in 2020 during Covid lockdown

Among the foreigners who visited India included 4,751 Pakistani nationals