Number of foreign tourists visiting India has shown a steady increase in the past three years. Number of foreign tourist visits has increased to 20.73 million in 2012 as compared to 19.5 million in 2011 and 17.91 million during 2010 registering an increase of almost 16% in the past two years.
The highest number of foreign tourists inflow was recorded in Maharashtra at 5.12 million followed by Tamilnadu at 3.56 million and Delhi at 2.34 million in the year 2012.
The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism has also shown a significant growth rising to Rs 944.87 billion in 2012 as compared to Rs 775.91 billion in 2011 and Rs 648.89 billion in 2010. This marks an increase of around 46% in the three year period from 2010 to 2012. The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) is estimated as Rs 504.48 billion in the period January to June, 2013.
The number of Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) to States/UTs has also shown an impressive growth of around 39% in the past three years. The number of DTVs in 2012 is estimated at 1.03 billion as compared to 747.7 million in the year 2010.
