India has the potential. What's holding foreign tourists back?
According to a NITI Aayog report, India attracts less than 1.5 per cent of international tourist arrivals globally.
India has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 106 national parks, 18 biosphere reserves, a thriving wellness sector, and one of the world's largest domestic tourism markets. Yet it attracts less than 1.5 per cent of international tourist arrivals worldwide.
With more than 4 billion visits recorded in 2025, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak, India’s domestic tourism industry is robust. However, this hasn’t translated to international travellers.
According to NITI Aayog's latest report, India recorded 9 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, trailing smaller tourism destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Overall, the country recorded more than 20 million international arrivals during the year, including non-resident Indians and members of the Indian diaspora visiting friends and relatives.
The report argues that India's tourism challenge lies less in attracting interest and more in converting that interest into actual arrivals and higher visitor spending. While the country ranks among the world's top destinations for natural and cultural resources, it performs relatively poorly in tourism infrastructure, business environment, and international openness.
According to the report, India needs to make it easier to invest in tourism to attract more foreign visitors. Businesses often face too many approvals, repeated paperwork, and long delays before hotels and other tourism projects can start. It says that simplifying regulations, reducing compliance, and speeding up approvals will make it easier to invest in tourism infrastructure.
The report suggests steps to make travel to India easier for foreign tourists. These include expanding the visa-on-arrival facility, simplifying visa procedures, allowing multiple-entry visas, and improving digital services for travellers. It also calls for better hotels, transport, tourist facilities and visitor services to improve the overall travel experience for visitors.
India has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 106 national parks, 18 biosphere reserves, a thriving wellness sector, and one of the world's largest domestic tourism markets. Yet it attracts less than 1.5 per cent of international tourist arrivals worldwide.
With more than 4 billion visits recorded in 2025, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak, India’s domestic tourism industry is robust. However, this hasn’t translated to international travellers.
According to NITI Aayog's latest report, India recorded 9 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, trailing smaller tourism destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Overall, the country recorded more than 20 million international arrivals during the year, including non-resident Indians and members of the Indian diaspora visiting friends and relatives.
The report argues that India's tourism challenge lies less in attracting interest and more in converting that interest into actual arrivals and higher visitor spending. While the country ranks among the world's top destinations for natural and cultural resources, it performs relatively poorly in tourism infrastructure, business environment, and international openness.
According to the report, India needs to make it easier to invest in tourism to attract more foreign visitors. Businesses often face too many approvals, repeated paperwork, and long delays before hotels and other tourism projects can start. It says that simplifying regulations, reducing compliance, and speeding up approvals will make it easier to invest in tourism infrastructure.
The report suggests steps to make travel to India easier for foreign tourists. These include expanding the visa-on-arrival facility, simplifying visa procedures, allowing multiple-entry visas, and improving digital services for travellers. It also calls for better hotels, transport, tourist facilities and visitor services to improve the overall travel experience for visitors.
