Parliament Question: Reforming tourism sector

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 776 ANSWERED ON 05.02.2026 REFORMING TOURISM SECTOR 776 SHRI SANJAY RAUT:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Ministry has assessed the reasons for India’s relatively low foreign tourist arrivals compared to destinations such as Singapore and leading European countries and the key findings thereof;

(b) whether issues relating to tourist safety, flight disruptions, uneven infrastructure and fragmented destination promotion have adversely affected India’s tourism image abroad;

(c) how India’s visa facilitation and entry processes compare with global best practices; and

(d) whether the Ministry proposes reforms such as regulatory simplification, single- window clearances, coordinated global promotion, aviation coordination and enhanced safety measures to increase foreign tourist arrivals and tourism-related foreign exchange earnings and if so, the timeline thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (d): Tourist arrivals in the country depend on various factors such as visa facilitation, health and hygiene standards, availability of quality tourism infrastructure and services, seamless connectivity, etc. International Tourist Arrivals (ITA) in India have shown continuous growth over the last five (5) years and have surpassed the pre-COVID levels. The ITA in India from 2019 to 2024 is given below:

Year 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 International 17.91 6.33 7.00 14.33 18.89 20.57 Tourist Arrivals

(ITAs) in India (in million)

Source: Bureau of Immigration India’s tourism image abroad remains positive, supported by ongoing efforts of the Government to strengthen safety, improve connectivity and infrastructure, and enhance coordinated destination promotion. These measures continue to reinforce international confidence in India as an attractive tourism destination.E-visa has become very popular among foreigners which is evident from the fact that the number of e-visa issued has gone up rapidly over the last few years. At present there are fourteen sub-categories of e-visa and is now available to the nationals of 175 countries for entry through 38 designated airports, 16 designated seaports and 02 land ports.

Through the setup of portals of National Single Window System (NSWS), the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Government is ensuring ease of application. Registrations at National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry (NIDHI+), which is the portal of Ministry of Tourism for registration/approval/classification of Accommodation Units, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Tourist Transport Operators, Food & Beverage Units, Online Travel Aggregators, Convention Centres and Tourist Facilitators, has also been integrated with NSWS.

Promotional activities are undertaken through a mix of digital and conventional media, including official tourism websites, social media platforms, and participation in international tourism fairs and exhibitions. The Incredible India campaign strengthened India’s global brand presence and contributed to a notable increase in foreign tourist arrivals.

Effective and adequate connectivity is one of the important aspects for developing a tourist destination. Ministry of Tourism is working very closely with Ministry of Civil Aviation for improving the air connectivity to important tourist destination and to lesser known/new destinations with high potential.

Safety and Security of tourists is essentially a State subject. However, the Ministry of Tourism has been continuously taking up the matter with all the State Governments and Union Territory (UT) Administrations for setting up of dedicated Tourism Police to strengthen on- ground safety mechanism for tourists. As a part of the Ministry’s continuous endeavors to make travel for tourists safe and secure, the Ministry of Tourism has set up a 24x7 Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline on the toll free number 1800111363 or on a short code 1363 in 12 Languages including 10 international languages for domestic and foreign tourists to provide support service in term of information relating to travel in India and to offer appropriate guidance to tourists in distress, while travelling within India.

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