Punjab sees 45% drop in tourist inflow in 2022 from 2019 count

Chandigarh: Unlike other parts of the country, Punjab has seen a 45% drop in the number of domestic as well as foreign tourists visiting the state in 2022 as compared to 2019, as the pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the once booming tourism industry in the state. Since 2017, Punjab received the highest number of 4.84 crore domestic as well as foreign tourists in 2019. This included 4.73 crore domestic travellers and over 11 lakh foreign visitors.
But the tourist footfall plunged to 2.64 crore in 2022 despite the fact that the central government had on March 15 last year announced a significant relaxation in Covid-19 travel restrictions even for foreign visitors entering the country. Over 2.60 crore domestic travellers showed interest in visiting tourist places across Punjab last year besides over 3.29 lakh foreign tourists.
These details were part of a written statement tabled by the Union minister of tourism G Kishan Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.