Lok Sabha Question No. 1358 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Inflow of Tourists in 2023
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Dhal Singh Bisen, Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundariya, Lallu Singh, Unmesh Bhaiyyasaheb Patil, Sunil Kumar Singh, Manoj Kishorbhai Kotak, Krishna Pal Singh Yadav, Sudarshan Bhagat, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil, Dharambir Singh, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Dipsinh Shankarsinh Rathod

- (a)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1358 ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## INFLOW OF TOURISTS IN 2023

## 1358.DR. DHAL SINGH BISEN:

SHRI MOHANBHAI KALYANJI KUNDARIYA:

SHRI LALLU SINGH:

SHRI UNMESH BHAIYYASAHEB PATIL:

SHRI SUNIL KUMAR SINGH:

SHRI MANOJ KOTAK:

DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV:

SHRI SUDARSHAN BHAGAT:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

PROF. RITA BAHUGUNA JOSHI:

DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:

DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:

SHRI DHARAMBIR SINGH:

SHRIMATI RAKSHA NIKHIL KHADSE:

SHRI DIPSINH SHANKARSINH RATHOD:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- the details of the number of tourists arrived in India in the year 2023;
- (b) the number of tourists arrived in India post-pandemic since 2021 and whether  the  country  is  targeting  to  reach  the  figure  of  100  million tourist arrivals in the long run;
- (c) the details of the number of tourists expected to arrive in India in the next five years;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  prepared  any  roadmap  to  boost  the tourism industry of the country; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM                                  (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a) & (b):  As per information received from the Bureau of Immigration, the details  of  Foreign  Tourist  Arrivals  (FTAs)  in  the  country  during  2021  to 2023 are given below:

FTAs in India

|   S. No. | Year               |   FTAs in India (in thousands) |
|----------|--------------------|--------------------------------|
|        1 | 2021               |                           1527 |
|        2 | 2022               |                           6437 |
|        3 | 2023 (Jan-Sep) (P) |                           6432 |

Source: Bureau of Immigration.

(P): Provisional

As per the study 'India and the Coronavirus Pandemic: Economic Losses for Households Engaged in Tourism and Policies for Recovery', conducted by  the  Ministry  of  Tourism,  Domestic  tourism  is  likely  to  reach  the  prepandemic level by 2024-25. Further on the basis of data received from BOI, Foreign  Tourist  Arrivals  (FTAs)  are  likely  to  reach  pre-pandemic  level  by 2024.

- (c): No  projection  has  been  made  by  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  regarding the number of tourists expected to arrive in India in the next five years.
- (d) & (e): Ministry of Tourism has taken several steps/initiatives over the years to give boost to the tourism sector in the country, details of which are:
- i. Launched Dekho Apna Desh initiative with the objective of creating awareness among the citizens about the rich heritage and culture of the country and encourage citizens to travel within the country.
- ii. Conducting  Programmes  under  the  'Capacity  Building  for  Service Providers' (CBSP) Scheme to train and upgrade manpower to provide better service standards.
- iii. Launched Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Programme,  a  digital  initiative  that  aims  at  creating  an  online learning platform with the objective of creating a pool of well trained professional tourist facilitators across the country to support tourists.
- iv. 24x7 toll free Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline.
- v. E-Visa is presently available under seven sub-categories i.e. e-Tourist Visa,  e-Business  Visa,  e-Medical  Visa,  e-Medical  Attendant  Visa,  EConference Visa, e-Ayush Visa and e-Ayush Attendant Visa. E tourist visa is available under 3 options - (i) 05 years with multiple entry; (ii) 1 year with multiple entry and (iii) one month with double entry.
- vi. E-Visa  has  been  further  liberalized  and  the  visa  fee  has  been substantially reduced.

vii. New mountain peaks have been opened for Mountaineering/Trekking to give boost to adventure tourism in the country. viii. GST (Goods and Services Tax) Council announced a cut in the tax rate  on  hotel  room  tariffs,  a  move  aimed  at  giving  a  boost  to  the hospitality sector. The GST rate on hotel rooms with tariffs of up to Rs.7,500  per  night  has  been  cut  to  12%  from  the  existing  18%. Similarly, the tax on room tariff of above Rs.7,500 has been slashed to 18% from the existing 28%. There will be no GST on room tariffs of below Rs.1,000 per night. ix. Under RCS UDAN Tourism, Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with Ministry of Civil Aviation and has got 53 tourism routes operational for  better  connectivity  of  important  tourist  places  including  Iconic

- sites.

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