Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India Surge by 106% in Jan-June Period

New Delhi: Official sources announced on Tuesday that the influx of foreign tourists to India from January to June this year has seen a remarkable 106% increase compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

Furthermore, as per the data shared by these sources, foreign exchange earnings during this time frame in 2023 have also witnessed growth when compared to the figures from the previous year.

India has been actively working to boost tourism within the country, aiming to attract both domestic and international tourists following the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials had previously indicated that there has been an uptick in foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India post the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

A source stated, “The number of foreign tourists who visited India in the January-June period of this year reached 43.80 lakh, marking a substantial 106% rise from the figure of 21.24 lakh recorded during the same period in 2022.”

Regarding domestic tourism, the sources added that the figures escalated from 677 million in 2021 to 1,731 million in 2022.

Detailing the increase in tourist visits to Jammu and Kashmir, the source noted that the figures surged to over 1.8 crore in 2022. For the January-June period in 2023, the figure was reported at 1.09 crore.

Sources highlighted the positive impact of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor’s construction in Varanasi on the growth of tourism in the temple town.

In December 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the initial phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor, a sprawling 500,000 square feet project that connects the temple grounds to the Ganga river.

Modi, in a recent Mann Ki Baat address, noted that the recent surge in tourist numbers in Varanasi signifies a “cultural reawakening.”

Sources added on Tuesday that 7.16 crore people visited the temple in 2022, and for the period of January to May 2023, the number stood at 2.29 crore. This signifies a manifold increase in visitors to the holy shrine since the corridor’s construction.

Sunil Verma, the CEO of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, recently stated that approximately 10 crore devotees have visited the temple since the corridor’s inauguration.