India Tourism Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

175 India Tourism Statistics for 2026

India received 9,148,766 foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, fewer than in 2024 and still below the 2019 record, while Indians made a record 32.8 million trips abroad. At home, states counted more than 4 billion domestic tourist visits, a total lifted by the Maha Kumbh festival at Prayagraj.

This page gathers the official figures on India tourism in one place: arrivals and source markets, the 2026 trend, spending, travel abroad, domestic visits by state, pilgrimages, monuments, airports, the seasons and weather, what tourism is worth to the economy and safety. Every number links to the body that published it, with the date.

India counts visitors in more than one way. Foreign tourist arrivals are counted at the border. States count foreign and domestic tourist visits, so a traveller who visits three states counts three times. We never add these together or set one against the other. Indian figures in lakh (100,000) and crore (10 million) are converted to international units, with the original given where useful.

Headline figures

  • 9,148,766 foreign tourists arrived in India in 2025, 8.07% fewer than in 2024, on the final count in the Ministry of Tourism's 2026 compendium. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Indians living abroad made 11,069,003 arrivals in India in 2025, more than foreign tourists for the second year running. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • The United States was India's largest source market in 2025, with 1,841,772 arrivals, 20.1% of the total. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Arrivals from Bangladesh fell 73.2% in 2025, to 468,621, the main reason for the national fall, the Ministry says. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Foreign visitors brought India US$31.69 billion in 2025 (Rs 2.76831 trillion, or Rs 2,76,831 crore), 9.5% less than in 2024. Indians spent US$35.53 billion abroad, about US$3.8 billion more. (Ministry of Tourism (earnings), Sep 2026)
  • Indians made a record 32,829,079 trips abroad in 2025, up 6.29%. (Ministry of Tourism (outbound), Sep 2026)
  • States recorded 4.2855 billion domestic tourist visits (428.55 crore) in 2025, up 45.51%, a total that includes the Kumbh Mela. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Uttar Pradesh recorded 1.5574 billion domestic tourist visits (155.74 crore) in 2025, 36.34% of the national total. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • The Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj drew more than 660 million devotees (66 crore) from 13 January to 26 February 2025, on government counts. (PIB, Feb 2025)
  • The Taj Mahal sold 5,350,508 domestic visitor tickets in FY 2025-26, more than any other ticketed monument in India. (Ministry of Tourism (ASI monuments), Sep 2026)
  • Indian airports handled 420.09 million passengers in FY 2025-26, up 1.9%. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • Tourism directly generated 2.72% of India's GDP in 2023-24, on a Ministry estimate scaled up from the 2015-16 Tourism Satellite Account. (Ministry of Tourism (satellite account), Sep 2026)
  • 3.174 million e-visas (31.74 lakh) were issued to tourists between 1 November 2024 and 30 November 2025. (PIB, Dec 2025)

How many foreign tourists visit India each year?

Foreign tourist arrivals fell in 2025 after two years of recovery, and they are still below the 2019 record. Counting Indians who live abroad as well, India had more than 20 million international arrivals.

5.78m 2010 6.31m 2011 6.58m 2012 6.97m 2013 7.68m 2014 8.03m 2015 8.80m 2016 10.04m 2017 10.56m 2018 10.93m 2019 2.74m 2020 1.52m 2021 6.44m 2022 9.51m 2023 9.95m 2024 9.15m 2025
View data table
Foreign tourist arrivals to India, 2010 to 2025, in millions, from the Ministry's consolidated final series.
PeriodValue
20105.78m
20116.31m
20126.58m
20136.97m
20147.68m
20158.03m
20168.80m
201710.04m
201810.56m
201910.93m
20202.74m
20211.52m
20226.44m
20239.51m
20249.95m
20259.15m
Foreign tourist arrivals to India, 2010 to 2025, in millions, from the Ministry's consolidated final series. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • The record year was 2019, with 10,930,355 foreign tourist arrivals, so 2025 was about 16% lower. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Arrivals recovered to 9,520,928 in 2023. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • India passed 10 million foreign tourist arrivals for the first time in 2017, with 10.04 million (100.4 lakh). (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • The pandemic cut arrivals to 2.74 million in 2020 and 1.52 million in 2021, the lowest since at least 2010. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • India had 7,679,099 foreign tourist arrivals in 2014, so the 2025 count was 19.14% higher. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • That is about 25,000 foreign tourist arrivals a day, our calculation from the annual total. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Counting Indians resident abroad, international tourist arrivals were 20,217,769 in 2025, down 1.71% from the record 20,568,622 in 2024. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • India took 1.31% of world international tourist arrivals in 2025 and ranked 22nd, down from 20th and 1.41% in 2024. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • The 2024 count was first published as 9.95 million in September 2025 and was not revised in the final 2026 edition. (Ministry of Tourism (compendium 2025), Sep 2025)
  • International tourist arrivals, including Indians resident abroad, were 17.914 million (179.14 lakh) in 2019 and 6.337 million (63.37 lakh) in 2020, as reported to Parliament. (PIB, Dec 2025)

Foreign tourist arrivals count foreign passport holders each time they enter, so a person who visits twice counts twice. Indians resident abroad are counted separately and are not foreign tourists. The 2025 figure is the final count from the Ministry's India Tourism Data Compendium 2026, released in September 2026; an earlier provisional snapshot gave a lower number. The world ranking uses arrivals including Indians resident abroad, which most countries do not count. The comparison with 2019 and the daily average are our calculations.

Where do India's foreign tourists come from?

The United States and the United Kingdom send far more visitors than any other country, and Australia and Canada are the fastest-growing long-haul markets. Bangladesh, the largest market in 2019, fell to fifth in 2025.

  1. 1 United States 1.84m
  2. 2 United Kingdom 1.08m
  3. 3 Australia 545k
  4. 4 Canada 544k
  5. 5 Bangladesh 469k
  6. 6 Malaysia 337k
  7. 7 Sri Lanka 306k
  8. 8 Germany 274k
  9. 9 Japan 219k
  10. 10 Nepal 219k
India's 10 largest source markets by foreign tourist arrivals in 2025. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • The UK was second in 2025, with 1,084,310 arrivals (11.9%), up from 1,022,587 in 2024. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Australia sent 545,438 visitors and Canada 544,326. Arrivals from Australia were up 127.5% on 2014 and from Canada 102.7%. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Bangladesh sent 1,750,165 visitors in 2024, when it was second, and 2,577,727 in 2019, when it was first. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Malaysia (336,832), Sri Lanka (306,421), Germany (273,526), Japan (219,174) and Nepal (218,641) completed the top 10, which together supplied 63.8% of arrivals. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Singapore (218,002), France (216,937), Russia (171,453), Italy (151,933) and Thailand (128,881) ranked 11th to 15th. China, sixth in 2019, was outside the top 15. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • The 15 largest markets supplied 73.5% of arrivals in 2025, down from 77.1% in 2024. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • US arrivals rose from 1,804,586 in 2024. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)

Markets are by nationality. Many visitors from the US, the UK, Canada and Australia are of Indian origin and travel on foreign passports. The Ministry links the fall in Bangladeshi arrivals to political turmoil and unrest there.

Why do foreign tourists visit India, and how long do they stay?

Leisure is the main reason, but one in three foreign tourists comes to visit family or friends in the Indian diaspora. Stays are long, at more than two and a half weeks on average.

  • Leisure and holiday 39.28%
  • Visiting the diaspora 32.89%
  • Business 11.69%
  • Not stated 9.22%
  • Medical 5.54%
  • Study, pilgrimage, other 1.37%
Purpose of visit of foreign tourists to India, 2025. Students, pilgrimage and other purposes are combined. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Leisure, holiday and recreation was the purpose of 39.28% of foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, and visiting the Indian diaspora 32.89%. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Business and professional trips made up 11.69%, medical travel 5.54%, students 0.73% and pilgrimage 0.04%; 9.22% gave no purpose. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Medical travel made up 69.38% of arrivals from Bangladesh and 28.69% of arrivals from South Asia. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Foreign tourists stayed 18.48 days on average in 2025. Canadians stayed longest, 30.2 days, ahead of Americans (22.6 days) and Australians (22.3 days). (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Women made up 45.0% of foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, the highest share in the series, up from 40.6% in 2011. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • The largest age group was 45 to 54, with 20.7% of arrivals, followed by 35 to 44 with 19.5%. Visitors aged 65 or over made up 10.7%. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)

Purpose comes from the immigration form. Length of stay is measured only where exit records exist, and the Ministry says students and pilgrims pull the average up. The combined share for study, pilgrimage and other purposes is our sum.

Are foreign tourist arrivals to India rising in 2026?

Arrivals in January to August 2026 were roughly level with the same months of 2025. Sharp falls in March and April were followed by growth in every month from May to August.

1.01m Jan 972k Feb 730k Mar 534k Apr 517k May 584k Jun 723k Jul 691k Aug
View data table
Foreign tourist arrivals to India by month in 2026, provisional, each month from its own monthly bulletin.
PeriodValue
Jan1.01m
Feb972k
Mar730k
Apr534k
May517k
Jun584k
Jul723k
Aug691k
Foreign tourist arrivals to India by month in 2026, provisional, each month from its own monthly bulletin. (Ministry of Tourism (monthly snapshot), Oct 2026)

All 2026 figures are provisional and are published in lakh, rounded to two decimals. The January to August total is calculated from monthly provisional figures; the Ministry does not publish a cumulative figure. Setting it against the final 2025 months mixes provisional and final data, so we describe the change only as roughly level. The bulletins give no reasons for the March and April falls. The September 2026 bulletin was not out on 6 November 2026.

How much do foreign tourists spend in India?

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism fell in 2025 after a record 2024. India's share of world tourism receipts shrank in a year when world receipts grew.

$17.71bn 2011 $17.97bn 2012 $18.40bn 2013 $19.70bn 2014 $21.01bn 2015 $22.43bn 2016 $27.37bn 2017 $28.57bn 2018 $30.72bn 2019 $13.04bn 2020 $8.65bn 2021 $21.36bn 2022 $32.19bn 2023 $35.02bn 2024 $31.69bn 2025
View data table
Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in India, 2011 to 2025, in US$ billion.
PeriodValue
2011$17.71bn
2012$17.97bn
2013$18.40bn
2014$19.70bn
2015$21.01bn
2016$22.43bn
2017$27.37bn
2018$28.57bn
2019$30.72bn
2020$13.04bn
2021$8.65bn
2022$21.36bn
2023$32.19bn
2024$35.02bn
2025$31.69bn
Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in India, 2011 to 2025, in US$ billion. (Ministry of Tourism (earnings), Sep 2026)

Earnings are the Reserve Bank of India's balance-of-payments travel receipts, as compiled by the Ministry. They include spending by foreign students and medical visitors as well as tourists, and are in current prices. The 2021 figure is misprinted in the source table and is given here as US$8,651 million. The travel deficit shown at the top of the page is our calculation from these earnings and from Indians' spending abroad; the Ministry does not state it. The 2019 quarter comparison is also our calculation.

How many Indians travel abroad?

Indian trips abroad have more than doubled since 2011 and now outnumber foreign tourist arrivals by more than three to one. The Gulf is the first stop for over a third of them.

  1. 1 UAE 8.65m
  2. 2 Saudi Arabia 3.38m
  3. 3 Thailand 2.23m
  4. 4 United States 2.01m
  5. 5 Singapore 1.55m
  6. 6 United Kingdom 1.40m
Top destinations of Indian nationals' departures in 2025, by country of disembarkation. (Ministry of Tourism (outbound), Sep 2026)

Departures count trips, not people. The destination is the country where the traveller first lands, so Gulf hub airports inflate the UAE figure. The long average stay includes diaspora and work trips. The 2026 monthly figures are provisional.

How many domestic tourist visits are there in India?

Domestic visits have grown almost fivefold since 2011, and 2025 set a record because of the Maha Kumbh. These are visits counted by each state, not individual travellers.

0.86bn 2011 1.05bn 2012 1.14bn 2013 1.28bn 2014 1.43bn 2015 1.62bn 2016 1.66bn 2017 1.85bn 2018 2.32bn 2019 0.61bn 2020 0.68bn 2021 1.73bn 2022 2.51bn 2023 2.95bn 2024 4.29bn 2025
View data table
Domestic tourist visits to Indian states and union territories, 2011 to 2025, in billions. The 2025 figure includes the Kumbh Mela.
PeriodValue
20110.86bn
20121.05bn
20131.14bn
20141.28bn
20151.43bn
20161.62bn
20171.66bn
20181.85bn
20192.32bn
20200.61bn
20210.68bn
20221.73bn
20232.51bn
20242.95bn
20254.29bn
Domestic tourist visits to Indian states and union territories, 2011 to 2025, in billions. The 2025 figure includes the Kumbh Mela. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)

Domestic tourist visits are compiled by state tourism departments, mostly from accommodation returns. A person who visits three states counts three times, so the total is not a count of people. Delhi and Maharashtra did not report 2025 figures, so the Ministry estimated them from their 2024 numbers. The growth since 2011 is our calculation.

Which Indian states get the most foreign visitors?

Of the states that reported 2025 figures, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat recorded the most foreign tourist visits. Maharashtra and Delhi are also near the top, but their numbers are Ministry estimates.

  1. 1 Uttar Pradesh 4.51m
  2. 2 Maharashtra (est.) 4.51m
  3. 3 West Bengal 4.00m
  4. 4 Delhi (est.) 2.43m
  5. 5 Gujarat 2.34m
  6. 6 Rajasthan 1.95m
  7. 7 Tamil Nadu 1.69m
  8. 8 Kerala 0.82m
  9. 9 Bihar 0.74m
  10. 10 Goa 0.55m
Foreign tourist visits by state in 2025, the 10 largest, in millions. Maharashtra and Delhi are Ministry estimates. Each state counts its own visitors, so the bars cannot be added up. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • States recorded 25,326,622 foreign tourist visits (2.53 crore) in 2025, up 21.63%, but still below 31,408,666 in 2019. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Uttar Pradesh reported 4,508,023 foreign visits, 17.80% of the total. The Ministry estimates Maharashtra at 4,506,598, so the top place cannot be settled. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • West Bengal reported 3,996,141 foreign visits, up 27.90%, and Gujarat 2,339,604. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Delhi's 2025 figure, 2,431,882 foreign visits, is also a Ministry estimate. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Rajasthan's foreign visits fell 6.14% to 1,945,068, while Tamil Nadu's rose 45.31% to 1,687,465. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Kerala had 821,999 foreign visits, up 11.33%, and 25,066,366 domestic visits. Bihar had 743,888 foreign visits. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Goa had 551,272 foreign visits, up 17.82%, and 10,314,548 domestic visits. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Karnataka's foreign visits fell 13.11% to 421,576. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Foreign visits to Jammu and Kashmir fell 44.37% to 36,410, and domestic visits fell 22.96% to 17,728,980. Ladakh's foreign visits fell 19.32% to 32,034. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Himachal Pradesh's domestic visits fell 20.12% to 14,411,327, while Uttarakhand was almost flat at 61,411,411. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Punjab's foreign visits fell 70.00% to 162,541. Tripura (down 69.92%) and Meghalaya (down 69.16%), both on the Bangladesh border, fell almost as far. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Foreign visits to the states fell to 1,054,642 in 2021, the low point of the pandemic. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Kerala has more hotels classified by the Ministry since 2019 than any other state, 1,121 of the national 2,472, including 94 five-star hotels. (PIB, Apr 2025)
  • Across India, 761 five-star, 705 four-star and 1,006 three-star hotels were classified from 2019 to early 2025; Maharashtra had 86 of the five-star hotels, Gujarat 76 and Goa 70. (PIB, Apr 2025)

Foreign tourist visits are counted by each state, mostly from hotel returns, so one foreign tourist who visits three states counts three times. They are a different measure from foreign tourist arrivals at the border and cannot be compared with them: state visits rose 21.6% in 2025 while border arrivals fell 8.1%, because the two count different things. Delhi and Maharashtra did not report 2025 figures; the Ministry estimated them by applying the all-India growth rate to their 2024 numbers, so they are labelled as estimates and not ranked. Hotel counts cover only hotels that applied for the Ministry's voluntary star classification since 2019, not all hotels, and are provisional. The Ministry publishes no national hotel occupancy figures.

How many people go to India's religious festivals and shrines?

Religious travel draws India's largest crowds. The 2025 Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj drew far more devotees than planned, and it more than doubled domestic visits to Uttar Pradesh.

7.94m 2019 1.72m 2020 5.59m 2021 9.13m 2022 9.52m 2023 9.48m 2024 6.98m 2025
View data table
Pilgrims registered at Mata Vaishno Devi, 2019 to 2025, in millions.
PeriodValue
20197.94m
20201.72m
20215.59m
20229.13m
20239.52m
20249.48m
20256.98m
Pilgrims registered at Mata Vaishno Devi, 2019 to 2025, in millions. (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Nov 2026)
  • Organisers had expected 450 million devotees (45 crore) over 45 days; that number was passed within a month. (PIB, Feb 2025)
  • The busiest bathing day was Mauni Amavasya, 29 January 2025, with about 50 million devotees (5 crore). (PIB, Feb 2025)
  • About 35 million (3.5 crore) bathed on Makar Sankranti, 14 January, and 23.3 million (2.33 crore) on Basant Panchami, 3 February. (PIB, Feb 2025)
  • Uttar Pradesh's domestic visits rose 140.79% in 2025, from 646,807,146 (64.68 crore) in 2024. (Ministry of Tourism (state visits), Sep 2026)
  • Prayagraj airport handled 532,732 passengers in FY 2025-26, about half the 1,077,393 of FY 2024-25, the year of the Kumbh. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • The Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir recorded 6,978,806 pilgrims in 2025, down 26.4% from 9,484,182 in 2024 and the lowest since 2021. (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Nov 2026)
  • Only 185,165 pilgrims came in September 2025, the quietest month of the year. (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Nov 2026)
  • The shrine's record year was 2012, with 10,495,269 pilgrims. (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Nov 2026)

Kumbh figures are government crowd estimates of visits, so a pilgrim who bathed on several days counts several times; the method is not published. The Kumbh total at the top of the page is the government's count by the final day, 26 February 2025. The airport figures count all passengers in financial years running April to March. Vaishno Devi counts are yatra registrations, and the shrine board gives no reason for the 2025 fall.

What are India's most visited monuments?

The Taj Mahal is India's most visited ticketed monument for both Indian and foreign visitors, though its numbers fell in FY 2025-26. Ticket sales across all centrally protected monuments dipped slightly.

  1. 1 Taj Mahal 5.35m
  2. 2 Sun Temple, Konark 3.42m
  3. 3 Qutub Minar 3.15m
  4. 4 Red Fort 2.09m
  5. 5 Ellora Caves 1.85m
  6. 6 Agra Fort 1.69m
  7. 7 Golconda Fort 1.68m
  8. 8 Chittaurgarh Fort 1.60m
  9. 9 Udaigiri and Khandagiri Caves 1.46m
  10. 10 Humayun's Tomb 1.33m
India's 10 most visited ticketed monuments by domestic visitors, FY 2025-26, in millions. (Ministry of Tourism (ASI monuments), Sep 2026)

Figures are tickets sold at Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monuments in financial years running April to March, labelled FY. The Taj Mahal mausoleum has a separate extra ticket, not added here. The number of ticketed monuments rose from 116 to 144 in FY 2021-22 and to 145 in FY 2024-25, so long-run totals are not like for like. The source gives no reasons for rises or falls.

How do visitors get to India?

Almost all foreign tourists now fly in, and Delhi is the main gateway. Land arrivals collapsed in 2025 with the fall in visitors from Bangladesh.

  1. 1 Delhi 78.70m
  2. 2 Mumbai 55.29m
  3. 3 Bengaluru 44.47m
  4. 4 Kochi 11.30m
  5. 5 Goa (Dabolim) 6.13m
  6. 6 Jaipur 5.63m
  7. 7 Goa (Mopa) 5.38m
Passengers at selected Indian airports, FY 2025-26, in millions. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • 94% of foreign tourists arrived by air in 2025, 5.4% by land and 0.6% by sea, against 83.4% by air in 2024. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Delhi airport was the entry point for 3,195,284 foreign tourists, 37.74% of air arrivals, and Mumbai for 1,643,913, or 19.42%. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Bengaluru received 830,821 foreign tourists by air and Chennai 815,676. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Delhi's share of all foreign tourist arrivals rose to 34.90% in 2025, from 28.10% in 2019, and the five busiest entry points handled 75.7%. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • The Haridaspur land crossing on the Bangladesh border handled 2.30% of arrivals, down from 7.92% in 2024 and a peak of 11.70% in 2017. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Goa's Mopa airport received 129,333 foreign tourists and Dabolim 50,868, so the newer airport takes about 72% of Goa's foreign air arrivals. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • International passenger traffic at Indian airports rose 4.2% to 80.64 million in FY 2025-26, and domestic traffic 1.4% to 339.45 million. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • International passengers fell 18.5% year on year in March 2026, to 5.34 million. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • Delhi handled 78.70 million passengers in FY 2025-26, down 0.7%, of whom 21.55 million were international. Mumbai handled 55.29 million. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • Bengaluru grew 6.2% to 44.47 million passengers, and its international traffic rose 23.9% to 7.23 million. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • Goa's Mopa airport grew 15.8% to 5.38 million passengers, while Dabolim fell 15.4% to 6.13 million. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • Kochi handled 11.30 million passengers, 5.33 million of them international, and Jaipur 5.63 million, down 7.1%. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • Traffic at Agra airport, the nearest to the Taj Mahal, rose 52.7% to 257,031 passengers. (AAI, Apr 2026)
  • Indian ports handled 272 cruise calls and 492,000 cruise passengers (4.92 lakh) in FY 2024-25, up from 253 calls and 470,000 passengers in FY 2023-24. (PIB, Jul 2025)

Entry-point figures come from the Bureau of Immigration and count foreign tourists only, for calendar 2025. Airport figures count every passenger arriving or departing, of any nationality, in the financial year April 2025 to March 2026, so they are not tourist counts. Mumbai's figure is for the existing airport; Navi Mumbai opened during the year and is counted separately. The Goa share is our calculation. AAI gives no reason for the March 2026 fall. Cruise figures include domestic coastal cruises.

When do most tourists visit India?

Foreign tourists come mostly in the cooler, drier months from November to February, and May is the quietest month. Indians living abroad follow a different pattern and peak in July.

982k Jan 951k Feb 771k Mar 624k Apr 489k May 566k Jun 686k Jul 625k Aug 622k Sep 795k Oct 959k Nov 1.08m Dec
View data table
Foreign tourist arrivals to India by month, 2025.
PeriodValue
Jan982k
Feb951k
Mar771k
Apr624k
May489k
Jun566k
Jul686k
Aug625k
Sep622k
Oct795k
Nov959k
Dec1.08m
Foreign tourist arrivals to India by month, 2025. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • December was the busiest month of 2025, with 1,079,032 arrivals or 11.79% of the year, and May the quietest, with 489,373 (5.35%). (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • December, January, November and February together brought about 43% of the year's arrivals. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • October to December took 30.96% of 2025 arrivals and January to March 29.56%, against 18.35% in April to June. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Australians make 21.4% of their annual visits in December and Americans 13.9%. British visitors peak in February (12.1%) and Russians in January (14.9%). (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • May or June is the quietest month for 13 of the 15 largest markets, on our count. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)
  • Arrivals of Indians resident abroad peaked in July, at 1,164,942, and again in December, at 1,128,931. (Ministry of Tourism (arrivals), Sep 2026)

Monthly figures are national border arrivals recorded by the Bureau of Immigration. The count of markets with a May or June low is ours, from the Ministry's table of peak and lean months by market.

What is the weather like in India, and when is the best time to visit?

For most of India the best months are October to March, when it is dry and warm. May is the hottest month in the north, and the monsoon brings most of the year's rain from June to September, heaviest on the west coast.

0.5 Jan 1.2 Feb 0.1 Mar 0.6 Apr 13.0 May 547.2 Jun 855.6 Jul 558.9 Aug 325.9 Sep 67.0 Oct 13.7 Nov 4.2 Dec
View data table
Average monthly rainfall in Mumbai (Santacruz), in millimetres. Almost all of it falls in the June to September monsoon.
PeriodValue
Jan0.5
Feb1.2
Mar0.1
Apr0.6
May13.0
Jun547.2
Jul855.6
Aug558.9
Sep325.9
Oct67.0
Nov13.7
Dec4.2
Average monthly rainfall in Mumbai (Santacruz), in millimetres. Almost all of it falls in the June to September monsoon. (IMD, 1961-1990)
  • In New Delhi, the average daily high peaks at 39.9°C in May and falls to 20.1°C in January, when nights average 7.5°C. (IMD, 1991-2020)
  • New Delhi gets 762.3 mm of rain a year. August is the wettest month, with 226.8 mm over 10.2 rainy days, and November gets just 4.1 mm. (IMD, 1991-2020)
  • New Delhi records fog on 21.6 days in January on average. (IMD, 1991-2020)
  • Mumbai gets 2,387.9 mm of rain a year, about 96% of it from June to September, with 855.6 mm in July over 23.9 rainy days. (IMD, 1961-1990)
  • Mumbai's average daily high ranges only from 30.4°C in January to 33.3°C in May, and January to April each get under 2 mm of rain. (IMD, 1961-1990)
  • In Jaipur, highs average 40.1°C in May and 22.6°C in January, when nights fall to 7.9°C. (IMD, 1961-1990)
  • The Jaipur district gets 596.8 mm of rain a year, 69% of it in July (217.3 mm) and August (193.6 mm). (IMD, 1961-1990)
  • Goa's average daily high stays between 29.1°C in August and 33.6°C in May. (IMD, 1981-2010)
  • Goa gets 2,913.2 mm of rain a year, with 926.1 mm in July over 26.1 rainy days, while December to April together get under 22 mm. (IMD, 1981-2010)

Averages are India Meteorological Department climate normals. Normal periods: New Delhi (Safdarjung) 1991-2020; Mumbai (Santacruz) and Jaipur (Sanganer) 1961-1990; Goa (Panjim) 1981-2010. Rainfall normals in the older state climate books use longer runs of data: Mumbai 1941-1990, Jaipur 1951-2000 (a district average) and Goa 1961-2010. The Mumbai monsoon share, the Jaipur July and August share and the Goa December to April total are our calculations.

What is tourism worth to India's economy?

On the Ministry's estimates, tourism's direct share of GDP is back above its pre-pandemic level, and about one in six jobs is linked to tourism. Both figures are scaled up from a satellite account for 2015-16, not measured afresh.

5.19% 2015-16 5.01% 2018-19 5.18% 2019-20 1.50% 2020-21 1.75% 2021-22 5.09% 2022-23 5.22% 2023-24
View data table
Tourism's direct and indirect share of India's GDP, Ministry estimates scaled up from the 2015-16 satellite account.
PeriodValue
2015-165.19%
2018-195.01%
2019-205.18%
2020-211.50%
2021-221.75%
2022-235.09%
2023-245.22%
Tourism's direct and indirect share of India's GDP, Ministry estimates scaled up from the 2015-16 satellite account. (Ministry of Tourism (satellite account), Sep 2026)
  • Tourism direct GDP was Rs 8.18117 trillion (Rs 8,18,117 crore) in 2023-24, on figures scaled up from the 2015-16 satellite account. (Ministry of Tourism (satellite account), Sep 2026)
  • Counting indirect effects, tourism made up 5.22% of GDP in 2023-24, against 5.18% in 2019-20 and 1.50% in 2020-21, again scaled up from the 2015-16 account. (Ministry of Tourism (satellite account), Sep 2026)
  • The direct share was 2.70% in 2015-16, the year of the last satellite account, and an estimated 0.78% in 2020-21. (Ministry of Tourism (satellite account), Sep 2026)
  • The Ministry estimates 43.59 million direct tourism jobs in 2024-25, 7.07% of employment, scaled up from the 2015-16 account. (Ministry of Tourism (satellite account), Sep 2026)
  • Counting indirect jobs, it estimates 99.96 million, 16.22% of employment, on the same scaled-up basis. (Ministry of Tourism (satellite account), Sep 2026)
  • An earlier estimate on the same basis, given to Parliament in December 2025, put direct and indirect tourism jobs at 84.63 million in 2023-24 and 68.07 million in 2020-21. (PIB, Dec 2025)
  • The Ministry of Tourism's budget for 2026-27 is Rs 24.384 billion (Rs 2,438.40 crore), against a revised Rs 13.103 billion for 2025-26, when Rs 25.4106 billion had been budgeted. (Ministry of Finance, Feb 2026)
  • Net actual spending in 2024-25 was Rs 1.6407 billion, after Rs 2.9328 billion of recoveries. (Ministry of Finance, Feb 2026)
  • Swadesh Darshan, the destination development scheme, gets Rs 19.05 billion of the 2026-27 budget. (Ministry of Finance, Feb 2026)
  • The overseas promotion budget line is Rs 35 million for 2026-27, down from Rs 434.8 million in the revised 2025-26 budget. (Ministry of Finance, Feb 2026)
  • The 2026-27 budget plans to train 10,000 guides at 20 major tourist sites, develop 15 archaeological sites including Lothal, Dholavira and Rakhigarhi, and set up five regional medical hubs. (Ministry of Finance, Feb 2026)
  • India ranked 39th in the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024: 6th for natural resources, 9th for cultural resources and 18th for price competitiveness. (Ministry of Tourism (WEF index), Sep 2026)
  • The Ministry launched a National Digital Tourism Stack on World Tourism Day, 27 September 2026, with a pilot planned for January 2027. (PIB, Sep 2026)

India's last Tourism Satellite Account covers 2015-16. Later GDP and job shares are Ministry estimates that apply its ratios to newer national accounts and labour survey data, so they are not fresh measurements. The rise in estimated direct jobs between 2023-24 and 2024-25 comes from this method and should not be read as real job growth. Direct figures count tourism businesses only; indirect figures add their suppliers. Budget figures are line items, and promotion may also be paid for under other headings.

How safe is India for foreign tourists?

Police in India register crimes against foreign tourists in the low hundreds each year, and Delhi records the largest share. The figures come from national crime records, given to Parliament in July 2026.

  1. 1 Delhi 54
  2. 2 Karnataka 21
  3. 3 Himachal Pradesh 18
  4. 4 Goa 12
  5. 5 Kerala 11
Cases of crime against foreign tourists registered in 2024, the five states and union territories with the most. (Ministry of Tourism (Lok Sabha answer), Jul 2026)

Figures count cases registered by police under the crime-against-foreign-tourists heads of the National Crime Records Bureau's Crime in India data, as given in a Lok Sabha answer on 27 July 2026. Incidents not reported to police are not counted. The 2023 total and the rate per 100,000 arrivals are our calculations. Crime against all foreigners, including residents, is a separate series.

Glossary

FTA
Foreign tourist arrival: a foreign passport holder entering India, counted each time they enter.
ITA
International tourist arrival: foreign tourist arrivals plus arrivals of Indian nationals resident abroad.
INA
Indian national arrival, an Indian resident abroad arriving in India; earlier editions called these NRI arrivals.
DTV and FTV
Domestic and foreign tourist visits counted by each state or union territory. A visitor to several states counts in each.
FEE
Foreign exchange earnings from tourism, the balance-of-payments travel receipts compiled by the Reserve Bank of India.
TSA
Tourism Satellite Account, which measures tourism's share of the economy. India's latest covers 2015-16.
ASI
The Archaeological Survey of India, which runs the centrally protected monuments and sells their tickets.
AAI
The Airports Authority of India, which publishes passenger traffic for all Indian airports.
IMD
The India Meteorological Department, the national weather service.
PIB
The Press Information Bureau, the government's official news service.
FY
Financial year, April to March. FY 2025-26 runs from April 2025 to March 2026.
Lakh and crore
Indian number units: one lakh is 100,000 and one crore is 10 million.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from India's official producers: the Ministry of Tourism for arrivals, earnings, travel abroad, state visits, monument tickets and the satellite account, each labelled by dataset; the Airports Authority of India for airports; the weather service for climate; the shrine board for Vaishno Devi; the finance ministry for the budget; and government press releases and parliamentary answers for the Kumbh, e-visas, hotels, cruises and crime. The 2025 national figures are the final counts in the Ministry's India Tourism Data Compendium 2026, not its earlier provisional snapshot. Each figure links to the document that carries it, with the date. Lakh and crore figures are converted to international units without rounding. Border arrivals and state-counted visits measure different things and are never added or compared. Where we calculated a figure, such as a share, a sum or a rate, the text or note says so. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.