Tourism In India

Tourism in India is important for the country's

economy and is growing rapidly. The World Travel and
Tourism Council calculated that tourism
generated ₹16.91 lakh crore (US$220 billion) or 9.2%
of India's GDP in 2018 and supported 42.673 million
jobs, 8.1% of its total employment.[1] The sector is
predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.9% to ₹32.05
lakh crore (US$420 billion) by 2028 (9.9% of GDP).[2] In
October 2015, India's medical tourism sector was
estimated to be worth US$3 billion, and it is projected to
grow to US$7–8 billion by 2020.[3] In 2014, 184,298
foreign patients travelled to India to seek medical
treatment.[4]
Hall of Thousand Pillars at the Meenakshi Temple,
Madurai.

Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, is a UNESCO World

Heritage Site

The Taj Mahal, Agra. The epitome of Mughal architecture.

Sundarban, the largest delta, home of Bengal Tiger and

other rare flora and fauna, is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site
Shatrunjay Tirth at Palitana, the largest temple cluster in
the world

Over 17.9 million foreign tourists arrived in India in 2019

compared to 17.4 million in 2018, representing a growth
of 3.5%.[5] This makes India the 22nd most visited
nation in the world and 8th in Asia and
Pacific .[6] Domestic tourist visits to all states and union
territories numbered 1,036.35 million in 2012, an
increase of 16.5% from 2011.[7] In 2014, Tamil
Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were the most
popular states for
tourists.[8] Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Agra and Jaipur were
the five most visited cities of India by foreign tourists
during the year 2015. Worldwide, Delhi is ranked 28th by
the number of foreign tourist arrivals, while Mumbai is
ranked 30th, Chennai 43rd, Agra 45th, Jaipur 52nd
and Kolkata 90th.[9]
The World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism
Development Index 2021, which replaced its
previous Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, ranks
India 54th out of 117 countries overall.[10] The last
edition of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report,
published in 2019, had ranked India 34th out of 140
countries overall. The report ranked the price
competitiveness of India's tourism sector 13th out of
140 countries. It mentioned that India has quite good air
transport infrastructure (ranked 33rd), particularly given
the country's stage of development, and reasonable
ground and port infrastructure (ranked 28th). The
country also scored high on natural resources (ranked
14th), and cultural resources and business travel (ranked
8th).[11] The World Tourism Organization reported that
India's receipts from tourism during 2012 ranked 16th in
the world, and 7th among Asian and
Pacific countries.[12]
The Ministry of Tourism designs national policies for the
development and promotion of tourism. In the process,
the Ministry consults and collaborates with other
stakeholders in the sector including various central
ministries/agencies, state governments, union territories
and private sector representatives. Concerted efforts are
being made to promote niche tourism products such as
rural, cruise, medical and eco-tourism.[13] The Ministry
of Tourism maintains the Incredible India campaign
focused on promoting tourism in India.
Visa policy of India
Main article: Visa policy of India

Visa policy of India

India
Free movement
Visa-free
e-Visa
Visa on arrival
Visa required
Government clearance required in advance
India requires citizens of most countries to hold a valid
passport and apply for a travel visa at their local Indian
embassy or consulate, before their visit. Travellers can
apply directly by mail or in person, or through their
local travel services company. India has recently
implemented an online method for citizens of 156
countries to apply for an e-Tourist Visa.[14]
Nationals of Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal do not require
a travel visa to enter India. Citizens of
Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, DPR Korea, Jamaica,
Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nepal, South Africa and
Uruguay are not required to pay a fee when obtaining
an Indian visa.[15][16]
A Protected Area Permit (PAP) is required to enter the
states of Nagaland and Sikkim and some parts of the
states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu
and
Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal.
A Restricted Area Permit (RAP) is required to enter
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of Sikkim.
Special permits are needed to visit
the Lakshadweep islands.[17]

e-Tourist Visa

As a measure to boost tourism,[18] the Indian

Government implemented a new visa policy in
November 2014, allowing tourists and business visitors
to obtain a "visa on arrival" at 28 international airports,
by acquiring an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
online before arrival, without having to visit an Indian
consulate or visa centre.[19] In April 2015, the "visa on
arrival" scheme was renamed "e-Tourist Visa" (or "e-TV")
to avoid confusion.[20]
The e-Tourist Visa facility requires a tourist to apply
online on a secure Government of India website, at least
four to thirty days before the date of travel. If approved,
the visitor must print and carry the approved visa with
their travel documents. The visa allows holders of an ETA
to enter and stay anywhere in India for a period of
ninety days except for citizens of US, UK, Japan and
Canada. Citizens of these countries can stay for up to
180 days at a time.[21] an ETA can be obtained twice in
a single calendar year.[14]
India first introduced its "visa on arrival" facility on 27
November 2014, to citizens of the following countries:
Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji,
Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya,
Kiribati, Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauritius,
Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Zealand,
Niue, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Papua New
Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon
Islands, South Korea, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE,
Ukraine, USA, Vanuatu and Vietnam.[14] On 30 July
2015, the facility was extended to China, Macau and
Hong Kong.[22] On 15 August 2015, the facility was
further extended to citizens of Andorra, Argentina,
Armenia, Aruba, Belgium, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, East
Timor, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Monaco, Mozambique, the
Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Seychelles,
Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania,
Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom, Uruguay
and Venezuela.[23] The facility should eventually be
expanded to about 180 countries.
As a result of the new visa policy, 56,477 tourists arrived
on an e-Tourist Visa during October 2015, compared
with 2,705 tourist arrivals during October 2014 (just
before the facility was introduced), representing a
1987.9% increase. During the period from January to
October 2015, a total of 258,182 tourists arrived on an e-
Tourist Visa, a 1073.8% increase on the 21,995 tourist
arrivals during the same period in 2014 (before the e-
Tourist Visa was available).[24]

Statistics
Foreign tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings

Foreign tourist arrivals in India

(1997–2020)[25]

Arrivals
Year % change
(millions)

1997 2.37 3.8

1998 2.36 −0.7

1999 2.48 5.2

2000 2.65 6.7

2001 2.54 −4.2

2002 2.38 −6.0

2003 2.73 14.3

2004 3.46 26.8

2005 3.92 13.3

2006 4.45 13.5

2007 5.08 14.3

2008 5.28 4.0

2009 5.17 −2.2

2010 5.78 11.8

2011 6.31 9.2

2012 6.58 4.3

2013 6.97 5.9

2014 7.68 10.2

2015 8.03 4.5

2016 8.80 9.7

2017 10.04 14.0

2018 10.56 5.2

2019 10.93 3.5

2020 2.74 -74.9

Foreign exchange earnings from
tourism in India (1997–2020)[25]

Earnings
% Earnings %
Year (US$
change (₹ crores) change
million)

1997 2,889 2.0 10,511 4.6

1998 2,948 2.0 12,150 15.6

1999 3,009 2.1 12,951 6.6

2000 3,460 15 15,626 20.7

2001 3,198 −7.6 15,083 −3.5

2002 3,103 −3.0 15,064 −0.1

2003 4,463 43.8 20,729 37.6

2004 6,170 38.2 27,944 34.8

2005 7,493 21.4 33,123 18.5

2006 8,634 15.2 39,025 17.8

2007 10,729 24.3 44,362 13.7

2008 11,832 10.3 51,294 15.6

2009 11,136 −5.9 53,754 4.8

2010 14,193 27.5 66,172 23.1

2011 16,564 16.7 83,036 25.5

2012 17,737 7.1 95,607 15.1

2013 18,445 4.0 107,563 12.5

2014 20,236 9.7 120,367 11.9

2015 21,071 4.1 134,844 12

2016 22,923 9.1 154,146 14.3

2017 27,310 19.1 177,874 15.4

2018 28,586 4.7 194,881 9.6

2019 30,058 5.1 211,661 8.6

2020 6,958 -76.8 50,136 -76.3

Source countries for foreign

tourist arrivals in India in
2019[25]

Share
Rank Country Number
in %

1 Bangladesh 2,577,727 23.58

 United
2 1,512,032 13.83
States
United
3 1,000,292 9.15
Kingdom

4 Australia 367,241 3.36

5 Canada 351,859 3.22

China
6 339,442 3.11
(mainland)

7 Malaysia 334,579 3.06

8 Sri Lanka 330,861 3.03

9 Germany 264,973 2.42

10 Russia 251,319 2.3

Total of top 10 7,330,325 67.06

Foreign and domestic tourist visits by State

Share of top 10 states/UTs of India
in number of foreign tourist visits in
2017[26]

State/Union Share
Rank Number
Territory in %
 1 Maharashtra 5,078,514 18.9

2 Tamil Nadu 4,860,455 18.1

Uttar
3 3,104,062 13.3
Pradesh

4 Delhi 2,379,169 10.2

5 Rajasthan 1,489,500 6.4

6 West Bengal 1,475,311 6.3

7 Kerala 977,479 4.2

8 Bihar 923,737 4.0

9 Karnataka 636,502 2.7

10 Goa 541,480 2.3

Total of top 10
20,620,863 88.4
states

Others 2,705,300 11.6

Total 23,326,163 100

Share of top 10 states/UTs of India

in number of domestic tourist visits
in 2017[27]
 State/Union Share
Rank Number
Territory in %

1 Tamil Nadu 345,061,140 20.9

Uttar
2 233,977,619 14.2
Pradesh

3 Karnataka 179,980,191 10.9

Andhra
4 165,433,898 10.0
Pradesh

5 Maharashtra 119,191,539 7.2

6 Telangana 85,266,596 5.2

Madhya
7 78,038,522 4.7
Pradesh

8 West Bengal 79,687,645 4.8

9 Gujarat 48,343,121 2.9

10 Rajasthan 45,916,573 2.8

Total of top 10
1,380,896,844 83.6
states

Others 271,588,513 16.4

Total 1,652,485,357 100

World Heritage Sites
Main articles: List of World Heritage Sites in
India and Tourism in India by state
There are 40 World Heritage Sites in India that are
recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as of August
2019.[28][29] These are places of importance
of cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO
World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.[30]

Hill Forts of Rajasthan

Taj Mahal

Fatehpur Sikri

Agra Fort

Kaziranga National Park

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary

Sanchi Stupa

Bhimbetka Rockshelters

Khajuraho

Bodh Gaya
 Humayun's Tomb

Qutub Minar

Red Fort

Champaner-Pavagadh

Churches and Convents of Goa

Keoladeo National Park

Ajanta Caves

Ellora Caves

Elephanta Caves

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai

Chola Temples

Mahabalipuram

Hampi

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Kalka–Shimla Railway

Great Himalayan National Park

 Pattadakal

Sun Temple, Konârak

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

Rani ki vav

City of Ahmadabad

Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks

Sundarbans National Park

Western Ghats (Nilgiri)

Western Ghats (Kerala)

Western Ghats (Sahyadri)

Western Ghats (Karnataka)

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier

Khangchendzonga National Park

Nalanda

Jaipur City

Ramappa Temple

Dholavira
Location of World Heritage Sites in India