Aug 11, 2025: In response to a question from the Rajya Sabha, the Ministry of Tourism provided comprehensive data outlining tourism-related trends in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) to India and Indian Nationals' Departures (INDs) from 2019 to 2024. Following the COVID-19 decline, the figures, provided by Minister of Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, demonstrate a significant recovery in both inbound and outbound travel. In 2024, India welcomed 99.5 million foreign tourists, a significant increase from 64.4 million in 2022 and close to the peak of 1.09 million in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Meanwhile, Indian outbound tourism has surged, with 3.08 crore Indians travelling abroad in 2024, up from 2.78 crore in 2023, and surpassing the 2019 figure of 2.69 crore.
In 2024, the United States accounted for 18.04 million tourists to India, followed by Bangladesh (17.5 million) and the United Kingdom (10.2 million). Australia (5.18 lakh), Canada (4.76 lakh), and Sri Lanka were among the other notable nations with significant numbers of new residents. A few countries showed substantial recovery and even growth post-pandemic, such as Japan (1.94 lakh) and Germany (2.56 lakh).
Indian nationals traveling abroad, on the other hand, reached new highs. With 77.8 lakh Indian visitors in 2024, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained the most popular destination, followed by Saudi Arabia (34.2 lakh) and the United States. Thailand (19.1 lakh) and Singapore (15.3 lakh) also saw considerable traffic, indicating the growing popularity of Southeast Asia among Indian tourists.
According to the data, over 65 nations brought tourists to India in 2024, demonstrating India's global appeal as a travel destination. In a similar vein, in the same year, Indian nationals traveled to more than 65 different international locations. This demonstrates the expanding aspirations and mobility of Indian tourists. Destinations like Vietnam, Australia, and Indonesia showed impressive year-on-year growth in attracting Indian tourists, with Vietnam growing from 1.23 lakh in 2022 to nearly 4 lakh in 2024, and Australia increasing from 4.89 lakh to 6.61 lakh in the same period.
With a positive outlook for both inbound tourism and outbound travel by Indian citizens, the data indicate a clear recovery trajectory for global travel involving India. While several markets have regained momentum, others are still catching up, likely influenced by geopolitical and economic factors.
Surprisingly, some nations continued to fall behind levels prior to the pandemic. China, which sent 3.39 lakh tourists to India in 2019, registered just 38,960 in 2024.
Similarly, Afghanistan, which once contributed over a lakh visitors in 2019, saw a drastic drop to just over 1,200 in 2024.