International Tourist Arrivals Lag Behind Potential, Need Policy Simplification

In 2024, more than 2 crore foreign visitors came to India, bringing in approximately $35 billion – a 9 percent increase from the previous year. However, India's share of global inbound tourism remains under 1.5 percent, far below that of economies such as Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The report points out that the number of international arrivals in 2024 (just under 1 crore) is still below pre‑pandemic levels, indicating that existing demand is not translating into actual visitor traffic due to complex regulations and fragmented institutional processes.