India recorded 20.5 million international tourist arrivals in 2024, up 8.9% from the previous year and 14.8% higher than 2019, with Non-Resident Indian visits driving much of the growth, according to official figures made public on Saturday.
The India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, released by the Ministry of Tourism on World Tourism Day, reported that Non-Resident Indian arrivals reached 10.6 million last year, a 13 percent rise from 2023 and more than 52 percent above 2019.
By comparison, foreign tourist arrivals stood at 9.95 million, a modest 4.5 percent increase over the previous year and nearly nine percent below pre-pandemic levels.
The United States, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada remained the five largest source markets, followed by Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Germany, France and Singapore. Together, these 10 countries accounted for about 69 percent of overseas visitors. Bangladesh saw a notable decline from 2019, while inflows from China also fell sharply.
Leisure travel accounted for nearly half of foreign arrivals, while visits linked to diaspora ties made up over a quarter. Business and professional trips formed around one in ten visits, pointing to India’s growing role as a regional hub for investment and services.
Tourist arrivals peaked in the winter season, with December alone drawing more than one million visitors, followed by strong numbers in January, February and November.
The Taj Mahal in Agra had the highest number of visitors among centrally protected monuments in FY 2024-25, with 6.26 million from within India and 0.645 million from abroad.
Odisha’s Sun Temple in Konark and Delhi’s Qutub Minar followed for domestic travellers, registering 3.57 million and 3.20 million respectively. Agra Fort and Qutub Minar each welcomed 0.22 million international tourists.
At the release event, NITI Aayog vice chair Suman Bery said tourism could be a lever for economic transformation and urged policymakers to make sustainability a core principle of development.
Outbound travel by Indian nationals also touched new highs. Nearly 31 million trips were made abroad in 2024, up almost 11 percent from the previous year. The United Arab Emirates was the most popular destination, followed by Saudi Arabia, the United States, Thailand and Singapore. Air travel accounted for 98 percent of all departures.
Tourism contributed 5.2 percent to India’s GDP in 2023-24 and generated more than 84 million jobs, underlining the sector’s role in economic growth and employment.
