Intl tourists arrival in India hits record high with 15.54 million last year; India leads growth in South Asian region

New York, September 3: According to data from the UN's tourism organization, International tourist arrivals have hit a record high with 1.323 million last year i.e in 2017. Importantly, in the tourism sector, India is leading the growth in the South Asian region.

 

Notably, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in a press release said that the international tourist arrivals reached a total of 1,323 million in 2017, some 84 million more than the previous year and a new record. The sector has now seen uninterrupted growth in arrivals for eight straight years. 2017’s growth was the highest since 2010, led by the regions of Europe and Africa, which received increases in arrivals of 8% and 9%, respectively.

“International tourism receipts increased by 5% in 2017. In addition to the US$ 1.3 trillion in receipts that destinations earned, international tourism generated another US$ 240 billion from international passenger transport taken by non-residents. This raised total tourism exports to US$ 1.6 trillion, or US$ 4 billion a day, which corresponds to 7% of the world’s exports,” it added.

The report said positive results in South Asia were largely driven by the strong performance of India, the "subregion's largest destination, which benefited from increasing demand from western source markets and simpler visa procedures."

“In India, international tourists arrivals grew from 14.57 million in 2016 to 15.54 million in 2017. International tourism receipts for India grew from 22.42 billion dollars in 2016 to 27.36 billion dollars last year,” the report added.

The report also noted that for South Asia as a whole, international tourists arrivals grew from 25.17 million in 2016 to 26.57 million in 2017. International tourism receipts for South Asia grew from 33.28 billion dollars in 2016 to 39.52 billion dollars last year. “The sector also recording uninterrupted growth in arrivals for eight consecutive years,” the report added.

The UNWTO, in the end, said that these results were driven by sustained travel demand for destinations across all world regions, including a firm recovery by those that have suffered from security challenges in recent years.

Interestingly, India has become a centre of tourism since few years due to various efforts were taken by the central government which also not only led a massive surge in the economy of a country but also internationally.