India is a country found in South Asia. It is not only the seventh-largest country in the world geographically, but it is also the second most populated country. This country is where chess was invented and it is also known to be a place full of breathtaking landscapes, unique land full of vibrant colors as well as rich history, it is, therefore, no surprise that it attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. The tourism industry is very important for the country’s economy and is continuously growing rapidly. Below are some trends and statistics of the industry:

Covid and Tourism in India

The pandemic affected the tourism industry of the world at large, including India. Many countries went into lockdown which meant that people could not travel to other destinations as most borders were closed. How tourism was before and after the pandemic is very different because the industry has learned a lot and adjusted accordingly.

Pre-pandemic and post-pandemic trends and statistics in tourism

  1. India was the #35 in position in the list of the most visited countries in the world in 2019 according to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report.
  2. The report also ranked the country’s tourism price competitiveness to be the thirteenth out of one hundred and forty countries.
  3. India was ranked fourteenth for its natural resource availability.
  4. India is also the eighth-most visited nation in Asia and the Pacific.
  5. In 2018. Tourism generated two hundred and twenty-two billion dollars to India’s Gross Domestic product, which was equivalent to 9.2%.
  6. Tourism in 2018 supported 8.1% of the country’s employment which was equivalent to 42.673 million job opportunities.
  7. The number of international tourists who visited India in 2018 was 17.4 million.
  8. Almost eighteen million international tourists visited India in 2019. This was higher than that of the previous year by 3.5%.
  9. The country went into a strict lockdown together with the rest of the world in March due to the pandemic.
  10. The Tourism Industry suffered greatly as there were no incoming tourists.
  11. The employment status of a lot of the people who had jobs due to tourism was greatly affected.
  12. The traveling and movement restrictions were lifted across various parts of India slowly over the rest of 2020. This made it possible for the industry to attract the flow of tourists again.
  13. People having been stuck in lockdown for months yearned were excited to have the opportunity to travel again.
  14. Holiday-goers are now being seen to prefer going to destinations that have private rooms or vacation homes so that they feel secure even while they are on their trips.
  15. The Tourism industry has always been a great source of foreign exchange in the country.
  16. The country earned a total of 6.15 billion dollars in foreign exchange from the tourism industry in 2020.
  17. Collaboration between Thomas Cook India, SOTC, and WelcomeHeritage in 2020 led to the introduction of various unique holiday experiences all over India.
  18. India has been stated to be on the list of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the world.
  19. The beautiful landscapes, traditions, diverse culture, and cuisines are among the top reasons why the country gets a lot of attention from both international and domestic tourists.
  20. Domestic tourism makes up a larger share in the tourism industry in comparison to international tourism, owing to how greatly populated the country is.

The foreign arrivals in India trends and statistics

  1. India opened its borders to foreign tourists who were fully vaccinated in November 2021 in the hope to revive their travel as well as the hospitality sector.
  2. The growth in the number of tourist arrivals has been due to the government policies being flexible, the well and developed road and rail infrastructure as well as the ease in terms of availability of the e-Tourist visas that foreign tourists use.
  3. The arrivals of tourists through the e-Tourist visa increased in 2019 to almost three million which was by 23.6%.
  4. In 2021, the e-Visa facility got offered to one hundred and seventy-one countries.
  5. The government of India also came up with a scheme for them to boost the tourism sector. They gave five tourists the opportunity to visit the country visa-free up until the 31st of March 2022.
  6. India’s government is working so as to achieve a 2% share in the world’s international tourist arrivals by 2025.
  7. By 2028, the number of international tourist arrivals is estimated to reach thirty and a half billion.
  8. More than 70% of air tickets in the country are being booked online.

General trends in the tourism industry in India

  1. There has been an emergence of several tour operators and online travel operators that are customizing their options to consumers.
  2. The Ministry of tourism in India has also launched the NIDHI portal for them to be able to understand the size of the geographical spread, the spread, existing capacity as well the structure all over the country.
  3. The Indian government also announced that another way it will be boosting tourism in the country is through lighthouse leveraging. 71 lighthouses have been spotted which will then be developed to be tourist spots. These lighthouses will have open-air theatres, museums, children’s parks, amphitheaters, and eco-friendly lodges.
  4. The Ministry of Tourism in India has introduced IITF and IITG (Incredible India Tourist Facilitator and Incredible India Tourist Guide) Certification programs whose main aims are to create platforms for online learning across the country of adequately trained tourist guides and facilitators. The IITF program’s main goal is the promotion of micro-tourism.
  5. The number of solo travelers is also increasing.
  6. India is catering more to solo travelers now. In the North-Western Himalayas, the Srinagar-Leh offers a road trip that is very famous among solo travelers.
  7. Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu and Alleppey in Kerala are gaining more popularity as solo travelers are being seen to enjoy these destinations.
  8. The number of tourists who are interested in luxury stays has increased, especially in India due to the rise in general consumer spending.
  9. The key players in the Tourism Industry have been forced to equally expand their presence to be able to cater to this growing demand.
  10. India is also gaining more and more popularity in 2022 because of its vast options when it comes to wellness tourism.
  11. Ayurveda yoga, naturopathy, and Siddha along with the spiritual philosophy of the nation make India the perfect wellness destination.
  12. In 2019, Spiritual tourism accounted for a total of 60% of the total revenue of domestic tourism.
  13. Staycation is being seen to be gaining more popularity in India as people are loving the idea of staying in luxurious hotels and allowing themselves to get revived of all stress while at a beautiful and peaceful getaway.
  14. The Indian government has estimated that by 2030, the country will be having 1.2 million cruise tourists in terms of the market size.
  15. The number of cruise ships is also getting increased to one thousand, while five more cruise terminals have been set up.
  16. An increase in camping sites is being promoted especially in the remote areas as it would not only provide unique experiences for tourists but would also open up these rural areas to various economic opportunities.
  17. More people are opting to go to destinations that factor in environmental conservation as more people are knowledgeable about the concerning global warming in the world.
  18. A policy has been created by the Ministry for Tourism to ensure the development as well as promotion of caravans and overall caravan camping parks.
  19. One of the most popular segments of India’s tourism industry is adventure tourism.
  20. Adventure tourism in India is continuously getting famous owing to the fact that the country is very diverse in its geo-physicality.
  21. The government of India is now using Adventure tourism as a product niche so that they can attract tourists who have specific interests.
  22. The government of India released the medical visa so as to encourage the increase in medical tourism in India.
  23. Players in the Tourism Industry are making sure that their customers are provided with all the services they need on one portal. They are doing this by the creation of websites such as mkemytrip.com which give a provision for comprehensive baskets that have inbound and outbound travel for business trips or leisure travels, with car and hotel booking, and complete holiday packages both in India and as well as abroad.
  24. The government of India is issuing loans to various MSMEs to allow them to deal with the crisis and be able to jointly revive their economy. The tourism sector is part of the MSMEs getting loans.
  25. India’s airline travel market is estimated to rise up to fifty-four billion dollars by 2027 owing to the fact that the airport infrastructure has been improved and access to passports has been made easier.

References

https://www.ibef.org/industry/indian-tourism-and-hospitality-industry-analysis-presentation

https://www.ibef.org/download/Tourism-and-Hospitality-March-2021.pdf

https://www.statista.com/topics/2076/travel-and-tourism-industry-in-india/#dossierKeyfigures

https://businesseconomics.in/emerging-trends-tourism