Key Takeaways
- Foreign tourist arrivals in India stood at roughly 9.2 million in 2023-24, still short of the pre-pandemic peak of just under 11 million recorded in 2019, per Ministry of Tourism data.
- Neighbours like Vietnam and Thailand now pull in far more international visitors than India, despite India’s larger landmass and deeper cultural history.
- Visa friction, patchy last-mile infrastructure, and weak global marketing are the three reasons experts keep circling back to.
- New moves — an Air India-Tourism Ministry MoU, a fresh push into spiritual and MICE tourism, and state-level campaigns — suggest 2026 could be the year this trend finally turns.
Ask anyone who has backpacked through Rajasthan or watched the sun rise over Kerala’s backwaters, and they’ll tell you India has no shortage of things to see. Yet foreign tourist arrivals keep underperforming what the country’s sheer scale and history would suggest. It’s the kind of gap that shows up in spreadsheets long before it shows up in conversation, and this month it’s back in the headlines.
What Do the Numbers Actually Show?
Government tourism data paints a fairly clear picture. In 2019, before the pandemic upended global travel, India logged just under 11 million foreign tourist arrivals. That number collapsed to a couple of million during the COVID years and has been climbing back since, crossing roughly 9.2 million in the most recent full-year figures from the Ministry of Tourism.
| Year | Approx. Foreign Tourist Arrivals | Note |
| 2019 | ~10.9 million | Pre-pandemic peak |
| 2020-21 | Under 3 million | Pandemic collapse |
| 2022 | ~6.2 million | Recovery begins |
| 2023-24 | ~9.2 million | Still below 2019 levels |
So yes, the recovery is real. But “recovery” isn’t the same as “growth,” and that’s the distinction bothering tourism economists right now. India still hasn’t matched its own 2019 number, let alone kept pace with how much global travel demand has expanded since then.
Why Isn’t India Attracting Enough Foreign Tourists?
Visa Friction Still Puts People Off
India’s e-Visa system is genuinely easier than it was a decade ago, but travellers on forums and Reddit threads still flag slow processing, confusing document requirements, and inconsistent approval timelines compared to countries offering visa-free entry or instant e-visas within hours.
Last-Mile Infrastructure Remains Patchy
Flagship destinations like Goa, Agra, and Jaipur are well connected. But once a traveller wants to explore beyond the obvious circuit — say, the Northeast or interior Madhya Pradesh — road quality, English signage, and reliable transport options thin out fast. A stunning fort or waterfall matters less if getting there eats an entire day.
Marketing That Doesn’t Match the Product
India’s “Incredible India” campaigns have had strong moments, but industry voices increasingly argue the country undersells itself against how aggressively Thailand, Vietnam, and even smaller markets like Georgia market their destinations abroad. Tourism in India remains one of the world’s largest untapped opportunities relative to its cultural and natural assets, and that gap between potential and perception is exactly what’s being debated this week.
How Does India Compare With Other Asian Destinations?
Here’s the part that stings a little. Thailand, a country roughly one-sixth India’s size, regularly welcomes over 25 million foreign tourists a year. Vietnam, still building out its tourism infrastructure, has been closing in on 18 million. India, with the Himalayas, two coastlines, desert forts, backwaters, and a 5,000-year cultural record, sits at less than half of Thailand’s number.
That comparison isn’t meant to be discouraging — it’s the opposite. It shows the ceiling is much higher than current numbers suggest, and that the gap is about ease and marketing, not about what India actually has to offer.
What Is Being Done About Foreign Tourist Arrivals Right Now?
- The Tourism Ministry and Air India recently signed an MoU aimed at jointly promoting India as a global destination through the airline’s international network.
- Hotel groups like Sayaji Hotels are betting on niche growth, signing new properties across India’s spiritual tourism belt.
- States are diversifying their pitch — Jammu & Kashmir is showcasing all-season destinations at trade fairs like TTF Ahmedabad, while the Northeast is positioning itself around wellness and medical tourism.
- India is also being courted as a source market by other countries, with Namibia and Czechia both expanding India-focused tourism outreach — a reminder that outbound Indian travel is booming even as inbound lags.
A recent industry report also flagged that culture-led travel — heritage walks, food trails, festival-timed trips — is shaping how both domestic and international travellers are choosing itineraries in 2026, which could be exactly the angle India needs to lean into.
FAQ
How many foreign tourists visit India each year?
Recent government data puts foreign tourist arrivals at roughly 9.2 million for the latest full year, still below the pre-pandemic 2019 figure of just under 11 million.
Why do fewer foreign tourists visit India compared to Thailand or Vietnam?
Visa processing friction, uneven last-mile connectivity to non-metro destinations, and comparatively modest international marketing spend are the most cited reasons.
Is India’s tourism industry growing in 2026?
Yes, domestic and outbound travel are both growing strongly, and inbound foreign tourist arrivals are recovering steadily, though they haven’t yet overtaken 2019 levels.
Which Indian states are pushing hardest to attract foreign tourists?
Jammu & Kashmir, Goa, and states across the Northeast are actively promoting themselves through trade fairs, medical tourism, and all-season destination campaigns.
What is the government doing to increase foreign tourist arrivals?
Initiatives include the Air India-Tourism Ministry promotional MoU, expanded spiritual and MICE tourism investment, and state-level campaigns targeting international markets.
The honest takeaway is that India isn’t short on reasons for people to visit — it’s short on making the visit easy and visible to the traveller still deciding where to go next. Fix the friction, and the numbers on foreign tourist arrivals should start telling a very different story.