Foreign tourist arrivals up 18% in 2017

NEW DELHI: Last month's attack on a Swiss couple in Fatehpur Sikri may have dented India's image, but latest figures for foreign tourist arrivals show a surge of 18.1% in October 2017 compared to the same month in 2016.

A ministry release said 8.76 lakh foreign tourists arrived in India in October this year, compared to 7.42 lakh in October 2016 and 6.83 lakh in October 2015. It said tourist arrivals between January and October 2017 saw a 15.8% growth over the same period in 2016.

Bangladesh contributed the largest number of foreign tourists in October, while the US was a distant second. They were followed by the UK, Sri Lanka, Canada and Germany.

Measures to promote tourism through 'Incredible India', eased visa norms and the extension of e-visa services had resulted in the increased tourist inflow, the government said. In October, 1.76 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-tourist visa, compared to 1.05 lakh during October 2016, a year-on-year growth of 67%.

Between January and October 2017, 12.43 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-visa compared to 7.81 lakh in the same period last year, registering a growth of 59%.