Foreign tourist arrival has increased by more than 47 per cent during the past four years, according to data from the Bureau of Immigration released by the Ministry of Tourism here on Monday.
The foreign tourist arrival (FTA) number has increased from 58.35 lakh (January to October 2014) to 79.96 lakh during the same period this year, an increase of over 21.61 lakh tourists.
One of the main reasons for increase in tourist flow is e-visa facilities to a large number of countries, said a senior officer of the Tourism Ministry. While the increase of tourism inflow was less than 10% from 2014 to 2016, this year it has jumped to nearly 16%. The FTA in October 2017 was 8.76 lakh compared to 7.42 lakh in October 2016 and 6.83 lakh in October 2015.
Delhi airport continues to top the list of arrivals of foreign tourists. While it receives 32.56%, Mumbai stands at second spot with 14.02 % foreign tourist arrivals. The remaining foreigners prefer 13 other international airports and other routes, the Ministry said.
Foreign tourists using e-tourist visa have increased by 67.3 % from 1.05 lakh in October 2016 to 1.76 lakh in October 2017. Of the 79.96 lakh foreigners visiting India, 12.43 lakh have preferred e-tourist visa.