**Policy Summary: Foreign Tourist Arrivals and Tourism Initiatives in India**
This policy outlines the status of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India, with a focus on leisure tourism, and details initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism to promote and enhance the tourism sector.
**FTA Data:**
The policy provides the following data on FTAs (in lakhs) and the percentage share of leisure tourists for the past five years:
* **2020:** 27.45 FTAs, 58.4% leisure share
* **2021:** 15.27 FTAs, 5.8% leisure share
* **2022:** 64.37 FTAs, 36.5% leisure share
* **2023:** 95.21 FTAs, 46.2% leisure share
* **2024:** 99.52 FTAs, 45.0% leisure share
The growth in FTAs is attributed to the post-pandemic revival of global travel, increased confidence in India as a diverse destination, improved air connectivity, infrastructure development, and targeted marketing campaigns.
**Ministry of Tourism Initiatives:**
The Ministry of Tourism is actively involved in increasing tourist arrivals through the following measures:
* **Infrastructure Development:** Financial assistance is provided to State Governments, Union Territories, and Central Agencies under schemes like Swadesh Darshan, National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD), and Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development.
* **Promotion and Marketing:** Various tourism destinations and products are promoted through campaigns and events such as the "Dekho Apna Desh" campaign, International Tourism Mart, and Bharat Parv.
* **Thematic Tourism:** Promotion of niche tourism segments, including wellness, culinary, rural, and ecotourism, to broaden the sector's scope.
* **Quality and Visitor Experience Enhancement:** Initiatives focused on capacity building and skill development, such as Capacity Building for Service Providers, Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF), 'Paryatan Mitra,' and 'Paryatan Didi.'
* **eVisa Scheme:** The eVisa scheme is extended to 171 countries and covers nine sub-categories including e-Tourist Visa, e-Business Visa, e-Medical Visa, e-Conference Visa, e-Medical Attendant Visa, e-Ayush Visa, e-Ayush Attendant Visa, e-Student Visa and e-Student X Visa.
**Source:** Bureau of Immigration
**Contact:**
Sunil Kumar Tiwari, tourism4pibat@gmail.com
**Release ID:** 2155164
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Tourism: The Indian government ministry responsible for the development and promotion of tourism in India.
Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India: Refers to the number of tourists arriving in India from foreign countries.
Swadesh Darshan: A scheme by the Ministry of Tourism to develop theme-based tourist circuits in India.
National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive PRASHAD: A scheme by the Ministry of Tourism focused on developing pilgrimage destinations in India.
Dekho Apna Desh campaign: An initiative by the Ministry of Tourism to encourage domestic tourism within India.
International Tourism Mart: An event organized to promote tourism in the North Eastern States of India.
Bharat Parv: An event celebrating the cultural diversity of India, often held around Republic Day.
Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: The Union Minister for Tourism and Culture who provided the information in the Lok Sabha.
Ministry of Tourism
Leisure Tourism
Posted On: 11 AUG 2025 6:13PM by PIB Delhi
The details of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India and percentage share of leisure tourists
during the last five years is given below:
Year FTAs (in lakh) % of Leisure Holiday and Recreation
2020 27.45 58.4
2021 15.27 5.8
2022 64.37 36.5
2023 95.21 46.2
2024 99.52 45.0
Source: Bureau of Immigration
The growth in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) is mainly driven by the post-pandemic revival of
global travel and increasing confidence in India as a diverse and culturally rich destination.
Enhanced air connectivity has improved accessibility to key tourist spots, while continuous
development of tourism infrastructure has elevated the visitor experience. Additionally, targeted
domestic and international marketing campaigns have strengthened India's global appeal,
positioning it as a premier destination for travelers worldwide.
Ministry of Tourism has taken several measures/initiatives over the years to increase tourist arrivals
in the country, details of which are:
The Ministry of Tourism under the schemes of ‘Swadesh Darshan’, ‘National Mission on
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Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ and
‘Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development’ provides financial
assistance to State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations/Central Agencies for the
development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities at various tourism destinations in the
country.
Ministry of Tourism through its various campaigns and events promotes various tourism
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destinations and products of India in domestic and international markets. Some of the initiatives
are Dekho Apna Desh campaign, International Tourism Mart, Bharat Parv etc.
Thematic tourism like wellness tourism, culinary tourism, rural, eco-tourism, etc. amongst other
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niche subjects are promoted so as to expand the scope of tourism into other sectors as well.
Enhance the overall quality and visitor experience through initiatives focused on capacity
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building, skill development such as ‘Capacity Building for Service Providers’, ‘Incredible India
Tourist Facilitator’ (IITF), 'Paryatan Mitra' and 'Paryatan Didi’.
e-Visa scheme is now available to 171 countries and it is available for 9 sub-categories:
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i. e-Tourist Visaii. e-Business Visa
iii. e-Medical Visa
iv. e-Conference Visa
v. e-Medical Attendant Visa
vi. e-Ayush Visa
vii. e-Ayush Attendant Visa
viii. e- Student Visa
ix. e-Student X Visa
This information was given by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh
Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
****
Sunil Kumar Tiwari
tourism4pib[at]gmail[dot]com
(Release ID: 2155164)