NEW DELHI: More than 10 lakh foreign tourists visited India in January, around eight per cent higher than the corresponding month last year, the tourism ministry said in a statement.
The number of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in January, 2018 was 10.66 lakh as compared to FTAs of 9.83 lakh in January, 2017, and 8.45 lakh in January, 2016.
“The growth rate in FTAs in January, 2018 over January, 2017 was 8.4 per cent, compared to 16.4 per cent in January, 2017 over January, 2016,” the statement said.
The percentage share of FTAs in India during January 2018 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (16.36 per cent) followed by the USA (14.10 per cent), the UK (10.81 per cent), Canada (4.63 per cent) and the Russian Federation (4.49 per cent).
The ministry compiles monthly estimates of FTAs, including those with e-tourist visas, on the basis of their nationality and the port. The estimates are based on data received from the Bureau of Immigration (BOI)
The percentage share of FTAs in India during January 2018 among the top 15 ports was highest at the Delhi airport (28.03 per cent) followed by the Mumbai airport (17.47 per cent), the Haridaspur Land Check Post (7.63 per cent), and the Chennai Airport (7.17 per cent).
During the month of January, 2018, a total of 2.40 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-tourist visas as compared to 1.52 lakh during the month of January, 2017 registering a growth of 58.5 per cent.
The percentage share of top 15 source countries availing of e-tourist visa facilities during January, 2018 was the UK (18.6 per cent), the USA (10.6 per cent), the Russian Federation (6.5 per cent), France (5.4 per cent%), Canada (5.3 per cent) and China (4.8 per cent). -PTI
