US, Bangladesh, UK top list for tourist arrivals in India in last 5 years: Govt

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) The US, Bangladesh, the UK, Australia and Canada were the top five source countries for Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India in the last five years, according to data shared by the government.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared the data in a written response to queries related to FTAs in the Lok Sabha.

The FTA figures stood at 99.52 lakh for 2024, as per the government data.

The minister was asked details related to FTAs recorded in the country during the last five years, and whether India's tourism sector has seen a significant recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, with international tourist arrivals exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

According to the UN World Tourism Organization, International Tourist Arrivals (ITAs) has two components, namely Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) and Arrivals of Non-Resident Nationals.

The minister was also asked details about the top ten source markets for FTAs in India during the last five years.

Shekhawat, in his response, shared tabulated data of top 10 source countries for FTAs during the last five years (2020-2024).

The top 10 countries for FTAs in India during this period are the US, Bangladesh, the UK, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Germany, France and Singapore, according to the data.

The year-wise FTAs stood at -- 27.45 lakh (2020), 15.27 lakh (2021), 64.37 lakh (2022), 95.21 lakh (2023) and 99.52 lakh (2024).

The year-wise ITAs stood at -- 63.37 lakh (2020), 70.10 lakh (2021), 143.30 lakh (2022), 188.99 lakh (2023) and 205.69 lakh (2024).

In 2020 and 2023, Bangladesh was the top source market for FTAs in India, while for 2021, 2022 and 2024, the US occupied the top slot.

The other three countries which figured in the top five source countries for FTAs India are -- the UK, Australia and Canada. PTI KND SKY SKY