India's Tourism Sector: Post-Pandemic Trends and Future Projections

India’s tourism data for January-June 2024 reveals that foreign tourist arrivals are recovering but still below pre-pandemic levels. Bangladesh and the US top the source countries list. Despite the lag, foreign exchange earnings show an upward trend. Experts predict a return to normalcy by the end of 2024.

India recorded nearly 4.78 million foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) between January and June 2024, with Bangladesh and the US being the top two source countries, according to official data released by the Tourism Ministry on Friday.

These numbers were disclosed in conjunction with World Tourism Day celebrations, highlighting that India's inbound tourism still trails below pandemic-era levels but is showing signs of recovery.

In June 2024, there were 706,045 FTAs, a 9% increase from the previous year. Despite this improvement, the figures remain 2.8% lower than in June 2019. The January-June 2024 period saw 47,78,374 FTAs, marking a 9.1% increase compared to the same period in 2023 but a 9.8% decrease from 2019.

(With inputs from agencies.)