Bangladesh replaces US on tourist inflow

A new pecking order has emerged for foreign tourist arrivals in India. The US, the traditional top source for arrivals, has lost the spot it held for years to Bangladesh. India’s neighbour has for the first time become the biggest source market for foreign tourists coming to the country.

Data from ministry of tourism showed 1.37 million visitors came to India from Bangladesh in 2016, up 21 per cent over the number in 2015. The 21 per cent growth was much higher than the increase of 8.2 and 10.4 per cent seen in arrivals from the US and UK, respectively. The UK is the third-largest source market for foreign tourists.

The rise of Bangladesh in the Indian travel market has been quite rapid. From a mere 0.48 million visitors in 2012, the number has now grown almost threefold. Bangladesh now accounts for 15.47 per cent of the total 8.89 million foreign tourists who visited India in 2016. The US and UK accounted for 14.74 and 9.51 per cent, respectively. Quality medical and health-care facilities in India is one of the reasons for the growing number of tourists from Bangladesh. Trade and business are another factor. Government data show that of the 134,344 medical visas issued by India in 2015, half went to citizens from Bangladesh. The number of medical visas increased to almost 97,000 during the first half of 2016.

An earlier report by KPMG said the highest number of medical tourists in India come from Bangladesh (more than a fifth) because of the lack of “quality health-care infrastructure and unavailability of skilled manpower" in the neighbouring country.

Foreign tourists (all nationalities) are estimated to have brought foreign exchange earnings of $23 billion in 2016, 9.8 per cent higher than in 2015. 

India dominates bilateral trade of $6.76 billion, but imports from Bangladesh are rising. Even though bilateral trade slipped more than four per cent to $6.76 billion in 2015-16, imports from Bangladesh to India grew 17 per cent to $727 million. 

Apparel, textile fibre, fruit and fish are top import items from the neighbouring nation.

A large number of visitors from Bangladesh come to India by the bus that connects Dhaka to Kolkata. Therefore, Haridaspur, a check-post in West Bengal, ranked third or fourth among top ports of entry into India for most months in 2016.