Indias inflow of foreign tourists in 2025 could match levels in pre-pandemic era
Foreign tourist arrivals in India are experiencing a strong recovery, projected to nearly reach pre-pandemic levels by 2026. Industry body IATO reports 10-15% higher arrivals this season, driven by renewed interest from North America, Europe, and Asia.
New Delhi: The growth momentum of foreign tourists visiting India is expected to sustain in this peak season compared to 2024. This year, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has said that the total number of foreign tourists visiting India could reach the levels of the pre-pandemic era, according to a report by the Economic Times.
What has IATO said about inbound tourism?
As per Ravi Gosain, president of IATO, "Most of our member operators are reporting 10-15% higher arrivals than last year, driven by renewed interest from North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia."
He further said, "We expect inbound numbers to approach pre-pandemic levels, if not fully match them, by early 2026. Preliminary trade feedback indicates that 2025 could close at around 10-10.5 million visitors, compared with 10.9 million in 2019, marking a near-complete recovery of inbound traffic."
According to the tourism ministry, in 2024, 9.95 million foreign tourists visited India. The total number grew by 4.5% from over 9.52 million in 2023. However, in the pre-pandemic era, the total number of foreign tourists coming to India was 10.9 million.
Dipak Deva, managing director at inbound travel company Travel Corporation of India, reportedly said that India is performing better on that front in this peak season than last year. However, he also opined that government promotion schemes failed to make a major impact, minimising the improvement. Director of Delhi-based Bakshi Transport Service, Ratanjyot Singh Sawhney, reportedly said, "We are seeing a 10-15% uptick in inbound overseas bookings compared to last year."