New Delhi: Out of the top ten favourite sites visited by foreigners in 2024, six were Mughal period structures such as the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri, Itimad-ud-Daulah Tomb and Red Fort. The Taj Mahal, however, saw a decline in foreign visitors in 2024—from 6.81 lakh in 2023 to 6.45 lakh, a reduction of 5.24 per cent.
The tourism ministry’s annual report titled India Tourism Data Compendium 2025 revealed a 2.15 per cent annual growth rate in domestic tourists, but a 6.42 per cent decline in foreign visitors in 2024.
“The tourism ministry is looking for reasons why foreign nationals’ numbers are declining. The 5 per cent decline for Taj Mahal is concerning, but overall tourists increased,” said a tourism ministry official.
For Indian tourists, Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Agra Fort, and Bibi ka Maqbara remain the favourite Mughal structures, with Taj Mahal topping the list for both domestic and foreign tourists. In 2024, 62.64 lakh Indians visited the Taj Mahal—a 2.71 per cent increase from 2023.
According to the report, out of the nine centrally protected ticketed monuments in Agra, the overall number of domestic tourists rose by 3.48 per cent, but the number of foreign visitors declined by 1.2 per cent from 2023.
At Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, the decline of foreign visitors has been clocked at 22 per cent. Meanwhile, other destinations too witnessed a decline in footfall, including Chandigarh (30.51 per cent), Srinagar (26.70 per cent), Shimla (13.25 per cent), Bhubaneswar (3.46 per cent ), and Chennai (3.39 per cent).
However, Bihar witnessed a rise of 28.15 per cent in foreign tourists, with sites like Nalanda, Sher Shah’s Tomb, and the remains of Patliputra being the main attractions. Other cities to register an increase in foreign tourists include Jodhpur (8.55 per cent), Jaipur (20.15 per cent), Guwahati (10.27 per cent), Aurangabad (8.47 per cent), Rajkot (35.34 per cent), Raigang (35.16 per cent), Dharwad (12.85 per cent), and Jabalpur (41.88 per cent).
The tourism ministry compiled the 2024 data from 145 centrally protected ticket monuments of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
“Accurate and timely data play a crucial role in guiding informed decision-making. Intelligence helps us assess trends, course-correct activities, and undertake necessary initiatives, enabling us to achieve this sectoral goal in a time-bound manner,” said V Vidyavathi, secretary, Ministry of Tourism.
Post-pandemic scenario
In International tourist arrivals, India ranked 51st in 2001, and jumped to the 20th spot globally in 2024, attracting 2.05 crore international tourists—an 8.89 per cent rise from 2023.
“This sustained growth reflects India’s continued recovery and rising appeal in the post-pandemic global tourism landscape,” reads the government report.
Foreign visitors prefer November, December, January, and February to tour India, and these months collectively account for 40.68 per cent of total annual arrivals.
With more foreign tourists arriving in India, the Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) have grown from Rs 4,318 crore in 1991 to Rs 2,93,033 crore in 2024, marking a nearly 68-fold increase over three decades.
The report said that the Indian National Departures (INDs) from India have shown a strong upward trend over the past three decades, rising from 19 lakh in 1991 to 3.08 crore in 2024.
Also read: Writer Vinod Kumar Shukla’s royalty battle exposed Hindi publishing. At 88, he’s finally paid
Sharp rise in domestic turnouts
Uttar Pradesh (64.68 crore) and Tamil Nadu (30.6 crore) are the top two states in terms of domestic tourists, followed by Maharashtra and West Bengal.
UP, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan are the top five favourite destinations for domestic visitors. While for foreign tourists, Maharashtra, West Bengal, UP, Gujarat, and Rajasthan top the chart.
The data suggests that in 2001, the annual growth rate of domestic tourists was 7.43 per cent, which shot up to 17.51 per cent in 2024. “Domestic tourist visits have shown a sustained upward trend,” reads the report.
Uttar Pradesh holds 21.94 per cent share of domestic tourists out of 10 major states in 2024, followed by Tamil Nadu (10.41 per cent), Karnataka (10.33 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (9.85 per cent), Rajasthan (7.8 per cent), Maharashtra (6.42 per cent), and West Bengal (6.26 per cent).
Apart from Mughal structures, the domestic tourists were also attracted to the Sun Temple, Golconda Fort, Ellora Caves, Charminar, and Upper Fort Aguada.
“We have recorded some new trends that tourists are moving to new or less famous destinations now. Rajkot, Jabalpur, Aurangabad, Patna, and Amravati show more domestic visitors in 2024, which suggests our less famous spots have potential to grow in the coming years,” said a senior ASI official.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)