India’s tourism industry set to break records with 106% rise in foreign tourist arrivals for Jan-Jun 2023
Between January and June this year, India welcomed about 43.80 lakh foreign tourists.
India has seen an impressive surge in foreign tourist arrivals in the first half of 2023, with a whopping 106% increase compared to the same period last year, as per the latest official data. On top of this, foreign exchange earnings during this period have also shown a positive uptrend.
Remember the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic? Well, India has been tirelessly working to bounce back, aiming to increase the influx of both domestic and international tourists. The good news is, the efforts are paying off! After the pandemic, Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India have been on the rise.
Let’s break it down for you – between January and June this year, India welcomed about 43.80 lakh foreign tourists. That’s a staggering 106% increase from the 21.24 lakh tourists during the same period in 2022. But it’s not just foreign tourists; domestic tourism has been booming too. The domestic tourist count increased from 677 million in 2021 to an impressive 1,731 million in 2022.
Now, let’s talk about a special place – Jammu and Kashmir. In 2022, the tourist footfall in this heavenly state exceeded 1.8 crore. And, for the January-June period in 2023, the count stands at a promising 1.09 crore. The construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi has been a significant contributor to this growth.
Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on December 13, 2021, inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, a grand project that spans over 500,000 square feet, linking the temple premises to the Ganges river. Modi, in his recent Mann Ki Baat address, expressed that the increased tourist influx in Varanasi symbolizes a “cultural reawakening”.
Guess what? The Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been a hotspot for pilgrims. Sources reveal that 7.16 crore people visited the temple in 2022, and another 2.29 crore between January and May in 2023. The footfall at this holy shrine has skyrocketed since the construction of the corridor.
Want to know something interesting? Sunil Verma, the CEO of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, recently revealed that about 10 crore devotees have visited the temple since the corridor’s inauguration :India’s solar manufacturing to touch 100GW by 2026
