Govt hopes over 10 pc growth in foreign tourist arrivals

Buoyed by the number of foreign tourists arriving in the country in the first half of the year, Tourism Ministry hopes to close the year with over 10 per cent growth, much higher than the UNWTO projection of four per cent increase worldwide, an official said.
"We are aiming 10 per cent growth in foreign tourist arrivals this year over last year. During January-June, we have registered 8.9 per cent growth," Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi said.
By the time we close the year, we expect to reach more than 10 per cent, the best ever in recent years and more than double the world average," he said.

Last year, foreign tourist footfall in the country was 80.16 lakh, compared to 76.70 lakh in 2014, a growth of 4.4 per cent.
Zutshi attributed the increase in the rate of growth of tourist arrivals to expanding e-tourist visa to 150 countries, focus on infrastructure development and promotion campaigns, among others.
According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals grew by 4.4 per cent in 2015 to reach a total of 1,184 million. This year, it projected growth of international tourist arrivals worldwide at 4 per cent.
On the foreign exchange earnings (FEEs) from tourism, Zutshi said there would be a "good jump" in FEEs in this year over 2015.

FEEs from tourism last year was Rs 1,26,211 crore, recording a growth of 2.3 per cent over Rs 1,23,320 crore in 2014.