Increase in the Number of Foreign Tourist Visits in the Country

The number of foreign tourists visiting India has shown a steady increase in the past three years.
The number of foreign tourist visits has increased to 207.31 lakh in 2012 as compared to 194.97 lakh in 2011 and 179.10 lakh during 2010. This shows an increase of almost 16 per cent in the past two years.

The highest number of foreign tourists inflow was recorded in Maharashtra at 51.20 lakh followed by Tamilnadu at 35.62 lakh and Delhi at 23.46 lakh in the year 2012. The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism has also shown a significant growth rising to Rs.94,487 crores in 2012 as compared to Rs.77,591 crores in 2011 and Rs.64,889 crores in 2010. This marks an increase of around 46 per cent in the three year period from 2010 to 2012. The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) is estimated as Rs.50,448 crores in the period January to June, 2013.

The number of Domestic Tourist Visits(DTVs) to States/UTs has also shown an impressive growth of around 39 per cent in the past three years. The number of DTVs in 2012 is estimated at 103.64 crores as compared to 74.77 crores in the year 2010.