India’s Inbound Tourism Should Be Booming — Why it Seems Nobody’s Going

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India reported 18.9 million international arrivals in 2023. However, only half — about 9.5 million — were actual foreign tourists. The rest were people of Indian origin or non-resident Indians visiting friends and family.

Even that 9.5 million is over 10% shy of 2019’s figure of nearly 11 million, which itself fell short of the potential for a country as culturally and geographically diverse as India.

Full results for 2024 aren’t available yet, but by mid-2024, the trend hadn’t improved much, with just 4.8 million foreign arrivals in the first six months.

While domestic tourism and outbound travel are thriving, inbound tourism remains a glaring weak link. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), India’s international visitor spending in 2023 was still 14% lower than pre-pandemic levels, even as domestic spending soared.

In contrast, tourism makes up 10% of Turkey’s economy and nearly 25% of Thailand’s, but only 5% of India’s GDP. Doubling that contribution is now the goal.

India’s cumbersome visa process is a frequent complaint. While the government introduced free visas for 100,000 tourists under the Chalo India scheme, indust