Lok Sabha Question No. 130 (STARRED), answered on 2018-03-05
Subject: Foreign Tourist Influx
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: ASADUDDIN OWAISI, HARI BABU KAMBHAMPATI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*130 ANSWERED ON 05.03.2018

## FOREIGN TOURIST INFLUX

- *130. SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI: DR. KAMBHAMPATI HARIBABU:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether in spite of attacks on foreign tourists in the country, foreign tourist arrival touched a new high in 2017 and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether foreign  tourist  arrival  has  been  low  as  compared  to other Asian countries during each of the last three years and the current year and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) the total number of domestic and foreign tourists who visited various  tourist  sites  in  the  country  and  the  revenue/foreign exchange earned therefrom during the above period, State/UTwise;
- (d) whether the Government has formulated/proposes to formulate any new tourism policy/programme and has notified some new places or events of tourist interest in the country and if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken/being taken by the Government to ensure safety and security of foreign tourists visiting the country; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to improve Incredible India Website and make it more interactive as well as to  promote tourism and increase the foreign tourist influx in the country?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SHRI K.J. ALPHONS)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. ***********

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a)  TO  (e)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*130 ANSWERED ON 05.03.2018 REGARDING FOREIGN TOURIST INFLUX.

- (a): The  number  of  Foreign  Tourist  Arrival  (FTAs)  in  India  has shown continuous increase in last three years. The numbers of FTAs in India during 2015, 2016 and 2017 are as under:

|   Year | FTAs(in million)    |
|--------|---------------------|
|   2015 | 8.03                |
|   2016 | 8.80                |
|   2017 | 10.18 (provisional) |

(b): UNWTO  gives  ranking  to  different  countries  on  the  basis  of their  International  Tourist  Arrivals  which  include  Foreign  Tourist Arrivals  and  arrivals  of  Non  Resident  Nationals.  The  number  of International  Tourist  Arrivals  in  India  and  major  Asian  countries showing comparative details during 2014, 2015 and 2016 are given below:

| S. No.   | Country           | International Tourist Arrivals (in million)   |   International Tourist Arrivals (in million) |   International Tourist Arrivals (in million) | Growth rate (%)   | Growth rate (%)   |
|----------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
|          |                   | 2014                                          |                                        2015   |                                        2016   | 2015/14           | 2016/15           |
| 1        | China             | 55.6                                          |                                          56.9 |                                          59.3 | 2.3               | 4.2               |
| 2        | Thailand          | 24.8                                          |                                          29.9 |                                          32.6 | 20.6              | 9.0               |
| 3        | Malaysia          | 27.4                                          |                                          25.7 |                                          26.7 | -6.2              | 3.9               |
| 4        | Hongkong          | 27.8                                          |                                          26.7 |                                          26.5 | -4.0              | -0.7              |
| 5        | Japan             | 13.4                                          |                                          19.7 |                                          24   | 47.0              | 21.8              |
| 6        | Republic of Korea | 14.2                                          |                                          13.2 |                                          17.2 | -7.0              | 30.3              |
| 7        | Macao             | 14.6                                          |                                          14.3 |                                          15.7 | -2.1              | 9.8               |
| 8        | India             | 13.1                                          |                                          13.3 |                                          14.6 | 1.5               | 9.8               |
| 9        | Singapore         | 11.9                                          |                                          12.1 |                                          12.9 | 1.7               | 6.6               |
| 10       | Indonesia         | NA                                            |                                           9.9 |                                          11.1 | -                 | 12.1              |
| 11       | Taiwan            | 9.9                                           |                                          10.4 |                                          10.7 | 5.1               | 2.9               |
| 12       | Vietnam           | 7.9                                           |                                           7.9 |                                          10   | 0.0               | 26.6              |
| 13       | Philippines       | 4.8                                           |                                           5.4 |                                           5.9 | 12.5              | 9.3               |

|   14 | Sri Lanka   |   1.5 | 1.8   | 2.1   | 20.0   | 16.7   |
|------|-------------|-------|-------|-------|--------|--------|
|   15 | Bhutan      |   0.1 | 0.1   | 0.2   | 0.0    | 100.0  |
|   16 | Bangladesh  |   0.1 | NA    | NA    | -      | -      |
|   17 | Pakistan    |   0.9 | NA    | NA    | -      | -      |

NA: Not Available

The number of International Tourist Arrivals for these countries is not available for the year 2017 & the current year.

(c): The number of domestic and foreign tourist visits to different States/UTs  during  2014,  2015  and  2016  are  given  in  Annexure-1. This information for the year 2017 is not available.

Break - up of Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism is not available  State  -  UT  wise.  However,  FEEs  from  tourism  for  the country as a whole during 2015, 2016 and 2017 are as under:

|   Year | FEES (in Rs. crore)   |
|--------|-----------------------|
|   2015 | 135193                |
|   2016 | 154146                |
|   2017 | 180379 (provisional)  |

(d): A  National  Tourism  Policy  (NTP)  was  formulated  in  2002. However,  taking  into  account  the  widespread,  interrelated  global developments and advancements, which have had a strong bearing on  the  Tourism  sector,  a  new  National  Tourism  Policy  is  being formulated.

The Ministry of tourism promotes all the destinations, events, attractions  and  products  of  the  country  etc.  in  a  holistic  manner through its Incredible India Campaigns.

Ministry of Tourism has taken various measures to ensure the safety and security of tourists including foreign tourists.  The details are given at Annexure - 2.

(e): Improvement  of  the  Ministry  of  Tourism's  Incredible  India website is a continuous process which leverages the latest trends in technology for promotion and marketing of our country, to provide enhanced visitor experience by providing relevant, interactive  and immersive experience across multiple digital touch points providing complete details on destinations for end to end planning.

Government of India has taken various steps to boost tourism in the country, which are as follows:

-  E- Visa facility extended to citizens of 163 countries.  The Incredible India 2.0 campaign launched with market specific promotional plans and content creation.  24x7 Toll Free Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline 1800111363 launched  in  12  International  Languages  including  Hindi and English.  Providing  Central  Financial  Assistance  (CFA)  to  State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for development and promotion of tourism. and promotion  of  Niche  products  like  Cruise,  Adventure, Medical,  Wellness,  Golf,  Polo,  Eco,  Film  and  Meeting
-  Identification, diversification, development Incentives Conference and Exhibition (MICE).

************

ANNEXURE-1

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION NO.*130 ANSWERED ON 05.03.2018 REGARDING FOREIGN TOURIST INFLUX.

The  number  of  domestic  and  foreign  tourist  visits  to  different  States/UTs during 2014, 2015 and 2016 are as below:

| Sl. No   | State/ UT                | 2014      | 2014    | 2015      | 2015    | 2016      | 2016    |
|----------|--------------------------|-----------|---------|-----------|---------|-----------|---------|
| Sl. No   | State/ UT                | Domestic  | Foreign | Domestic  | Foreign | Domestic  | Foreign |
| 1        | Andaman & Nicobar Island | 285146    | 17235   | 296684    | 14674   | 384552    | 15466   |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh           | 93306974  | 66333   | 121591054 | 237854  | 153163354 | 341764  |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh        | 335974    | 5204    | 352067    | 5705    | 385875    | 6598    |
| 4        | Assam                    | 4826702   | 21537   | 5491845   | 24720   | 5160599   | 12685   |
| 5        | Bihar                    | 22544377  | 829508  | 28029118  | 923737  | 28516127  | 1010531 |
| 6        | Chandigarh               | 1061419   | 28365   | 1073842   | 29538   | 1182504   | 31549   |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh             | 24488465  | 7777    | 18327841  | 6394    | 16534471  | 9220    |
| 8        | Dadra & Nagar Haveli     | 579638    | 1799    | 527782    | 1797    | 589074    | 1891    |
| 9        | Daman & Diu              | 795167    | 4620    | 790911    | 5858    | 826201    | 5669    |
| 10       | Delhi                    | 22626859  | 2319046 | 25258051  | 2379169 | 28460832  | 2520083 |
| 11       | Goa                      | 3544634   | 513592  | 4756422   | 541480  | 5650061   | 680683  |
| 12       | Gujarat                  | 30912043  | 235524  | 36288463  | 284973  | 42252909  | 343752  |
| 13       | Haryana                  | 7467064   | 314757  | 7395496   | 303118  | 7382995   | 331291  |
| 14       | Himachal Pradesh         | 15924701  | 389699  | 17125045  | 406108  | 17997750  | 452770  |
| 15       | Jharkhand                | 9438544   | 86477   | 9145016   | 58568   | 9414579   | 63207   |
| 16       | J&K                      | 33427144  | 154731  | 33079530  | 167785  | 33389286  | 169442  |
| 17       | Karnataka                | 118283220 | 561870  | 119863942 | 636502  | 129762600 | 461752  |
| 18       | Kerala                   | 11695411  | 923366  | 12465571  | 977479  | 13172536  | 1038419 |
| 19       | Lakshadweep              | 7315      | 514     | 17241     | 1173    | 8716      | 753     |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh           | 63614525  | 316195  | 77975738  | 421365  | 150490339 | 363195  |
| 21       | Maharashtra              | 92632097  | 4389098 | 103403934 | 4408916 | 116515801 | 4670049 |
| 22       | Manipur                  | 115499    | 2769    | 146169    | 3260    | 150638    | 3064    |
| 23       | Meghalaya                | 716469    | 8664    | 751165    | 8027    | 830887    | 8476    |
| 24       | Mizoram                  | 68203     | 921     | 66605     | 798     | 67238     | 942     |
| 25       | Nagaland                 | 58507     | 2585    | 64616     | 2769    | 58178     | 3260    |
| 26       | Odisha                   | 10790622  | 71426   | 11786117  | 66971   | 12842766  | 76361   |

| 27   | Puducherry   |    1188093 |    83291 |                      1297192 | 106153   | 1398289   |   117437 |
|------|--------------|------------|----------|------------------------------|----------|-----------|----------|
| 28   | Punjab       |   24271302 |   255449 |                     25796361 | 242367   | 38703326  |   659736 |
| 29   | Rajasthan    |   33076491 |  1525574 |                     35187573 | 1475311  | 41495115  |  1513729 |
| 30   | Sikkim       |     562418 |    49175 |                       705023 | 38479    | 747343    |    66012 |
| 31   | Tamil Nadu   |  327555233 |  4657630 |                    333459047 | 4684707  | 343812413 |  4721978 |
| 32   | Telangana    |     361247 |    26688 |                       363172 | 34886    | 370618    |    36780 |
| 33   | Tripura      |   72399113 |    75171 |                     94516316 | 126078   | 95160830  |   166570 |
| 34   | Uttar        |  182820108 |  2909735 |                    204888457 | 3104062  | 211707090 |  3156812 |
| 35   | Uttarakhand  |   21991315 |   101966 |                     29496938 | 105882   | 30505363  |   117106 |
| 36   | West Bengal  |   49029590 |  1375740 |                     70193450 | 1489500  | 74460250  |  1528700 |
|      | Total        | 1282801629 | 22334031 | 1431973794233261631613551505 |          |           | 24707732 |

*********

## ANNEXURE-2

## STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PART (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*130  ANSWERED  ON  05.03.2018  REGARDING  FOREIGN  TOURIST INFLUX.

Measures taken by the Ministry of Tourism to ensure the safety and security of tourists including foreign tourists.

- i) The  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  launched  the  24x7  Toll  Free Multilingual Tourist Info-Helpline on the toll free number 1800111363 or on a short code 1363 in 12 Languages including 10  international  languages  and  Hindi  &  English  in  February 2016,  for  domestic  and  foreign  tourists  to  provide  support service  in  terms  of  information  relating  to  Travel  in  India  and also  offers  appropriate  guidance  to  tourists  in  distress  while travelling in India.
2. ii) A Welcome card with 'Tips to enjoy your stay' is being handed over to foreign tourists on arrival to make the visit of tourists a memorable experience.
3. iii) The State Governments/Union Territory Administrations of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh,  Delhi,  Punjab,  Madhya  Pradesh  and  Odisha  have deployed Tourist Police, in one form or the other.
4. iv) The Ministry of Tourism has launched Social Awareness Media Campaigns with the objective of sensitizing stakeholders in the tourism  industry  as  well  as  the  masses  and  general  public about  the  importance  of  good  conduct  and  behavior  towards tourists and to reinforce the spirit of 'Atithidevo Bhava'.
- v) The Ministry of Tourism has issued the Guidelines on Safety and Security  of  Tourists  for  State  Governments/Union  Territories and  Tips  for Travellers  in  September  2014  to  stress  the importance of safety and risk management, assist in identifying best practices and encourage closer cooperation for ensuring a pleasant experience to the tourists.
6. vi) The  Ministry  of  Tourism  conducts  a  constant  dialogue  with State Governments/Union Territory Administrations, various tourism  related  institutions  and  stakeholders  for  drawing  up strategies  for  development  and  promotion  of  tourism  in  the country including safe and honorable Tourism.
7. vii) Advisories  has  also  been  issued  to  the  State  Government/UT Administration  with  an  advice  to  mark  Selfie  Danger  Zone  at the tourist places.

************