Tourism Industry

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

Allocate special budget for boosting tourist places in Shimla: Tourism body

There is an urgent need to allocate a special budget for improving the existing tourist places in and around Shimla, the Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association (TISHA) said in a release here today."The stay of tourists in Shimla has decreased to one day. The decrease in stay of tourists and steep fall in inflow of the tourists in Shimla is a matter of great concern, " TISHA President Mohinder Seth said in a release."There is an urgent need to allocate a special budget for improving the existing tourist places in & around Shimla, to create wayside amenities on the highways and for publicity of tourist activities available in and around every tourist destination of Himachal," he said in the release.The existing places of tourist interest in Shimla are very old and require additional tourist attractions and activities to hold the tourist in Shimla for additional two to three days, the release said."Creation of parkings exclusively for tourists in every cluster of hotels. The ...

Local travel cos' bookings will plunge with TCS rate hike: Thomas Cook head

In a Q&A, group chairman Madhavan Menon says he sees business moving to overseas companies, which in itself will impact the tax collection opportunity for the govt

Budget: Domestic tourism gets a fillip, overseas travel set to get costlier

Travel industry expressed mixed feelings about the budget as some of the demands for tax concessions or industry status for the sector too were not addressed in the budget

Union Budget 2023: Large potential to be tapped in tourism, says FM

With an aim of boosting tourism in the country, the Union Budget 2023-24, proposed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, promises to award huge opportunities for jobs and entrepreneurship for youth

Indian tourists continue to take lead as China fights Covid-19 surge

Although China eased border curbs recently, many countries are still wary of allowing Chinese travellers

Tourism industry in Joshimath is going down with the 'sinking' town

The town sees a footfall of close to millions of devotees every year, while generating allied jobs for the residents

Subsidy, tax breather to boost MICE tourism industry in Rajasthan

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

Expecting big investments, Assam grants industry status to tourism sector

Assam granted industry status to tourism anticipating big investments and further boost to the sector

UP to develop one wetland in every district to promote eco-tourism

The Uttar Pradesh forest department has decided to develop one wetland in every district as an ecotourism site under the 'One District One Wetland' initiative

Invest Rajasthan Summit proposals in implementation stage, says minister

The summit had drawn interest from local businesses, in addition to a number of those from India and outside

First international cruise ship of current tourist season arrives in Goa

Traditional Goan music played out and flowers were given as tourists disembarked from an international cruise liner in Vasco town on Wednesday, setting the tone for an upbeat tourist season after a long gap as shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic receded. In Goa, where tourism is the mainstay of the economy, the arrival of Viking Mars, the first international cruise ship of the current tourist season, was an occasion to celebrate. As soon as the ship docked at Vasco and 650 tourists disembarked, Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar moved forward to lead a traditional welcome. The tourists were given flowers by local women complemented by the beating of drums. "This is the first international cruise ship to arrive in Goa for the current tourist season," a senior state Tourism department official said. He said the state government has been promoting cruise tourism by organising road shows and participating in tourism marts to promote Goa. The peak tourism season in Goa typically stretches from

Pet-friendly travel picks up in India as airlines, hotels feed into demand

The pandemic has further fuelled the trend as travelling with pets picked up during the period

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.

Water sports policy to benefit tourists, operators of Goa: Tourism Minister

Stating that Goa faces challenges on tourism from Sindhudurg belt and from Karnataka border, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said that his department is promoting water sports

How Mamallapuram came to be top foreign tourist destination in 2021-22

Temple town that hosted Chess Olympiad pipped Taj Mahal to No 1 spot

Tourist arrivals may just be a third of pre-pandemic levels this year

Rajiv Mehra, head of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), stated that he does not anticipate inbound foreign visitors to surpass 35 per cent of pre-Covid levels until March 31

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

Some 4.9 million tourists visit Egypt in first six months of 2022

Hotel occupancy during first half of 2022 was 52.6 million nights, a 63.65% rise compared to 32.2 million nights in first half of 2021, said the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics