Domestic tourist visits across the country increased by 44 per cent to 250 crore in 2023 over the previous year with Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu leading the list as the top two destinations, the Parliament was informed on Monday.

Minister of Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Monday said that 250.96 crore domestic tourist visits were recorded in 2023 as compared to 173.10 crore in 2022.

Advertisement

Home to one of the ‘Wonders of the world’, Taj Mahal, Uttar Pradesh emerged as the most visited state by domestic tourists at 47.85 crore in 2023.

This was followed by Tamil Nadu with 28.60 crore, Karnataka 28.41 crore, Andhra Pradesh 25.47 crore, Maharashtra 16.13 crore and Gujarat 17.80 crore.

In 2023, the national Capital of Delhi received 3.94 crore tourists.

Among the hill states, Uttarakhand recorded the highest number of domestic tourist visits at 5.81 crore. Jammu and Kashmir recorded 2.06 crore and Himachal Pradesh received 1.59 crore tourists.

The desert state of Rajasthan hosted 17.90 crore domestic tourists in 2023, the minister said.

The Ministry of Tourism launched the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative in January 2020 for promotion of domestic tourism in the country. Under this initiative, the Ministry promotes tourism destinations and products of India through various activities such as webinars, pledges, seminars, tourism promotional events, Fam tours, roadshows, websites, social media etc.

Under this initiative, the ministry has launched ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice’ poll to engage with citizens to identify most preferred tourist attractions in the country.

The Ministry of Tourism has launched the revamped version of www.incredibleindia.gov.in, wherein information pertaining to various tour programmes and package tours are being provided in collaboration with stakeholders.

Increased domestic tourist visits to various destinations, under this initiative, are expected to boost local economies, create employment opportunities, and support hospitality services, thereby promoting sustainable tourism growth.