US, UK, Bangladesh leading source countries for India's FTAs in 2022: Data

The US, the UK and Bangladesh were the top three source countries for foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India in 2022, according to official data.

The data was shared by the Ministry of Tourism in a statement on the occasion of World Tourism Day on Wednesday.

"Top 3 source countries for Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2022 include United States of America (USA), Bangladesh and United Kingdom (UK)," the statement said.

India received 6.19 million FTAs during 2022 as compared to 1.52 million in 2021, it said.

There were 10.93 million FTAs in India during pre-pandemic year 2019. The tourism industry has shown good signs of revival after the pandemic, Union Minister of Tourism G Kishan Reddy had shared this in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha in April.

In the data, shared on Wednesday, the Ministry of Tourism also said that India received Rs 1,34,543 crore (USD 16.93 billion) in foreign exchange earnings, a "remarkable increase" from Rs 65,070 crore recorded in 2021.

Also, India's portion of international tourism receipts, measured in US dollars, stands at 2.08 per cent. India holds the 14th position in the world ranking of tourism receipts, it added.

In terms of percentage share of top eight ports for FTAs in India in 2022, 31.21 per cent was constituted by the Delhi airport, according to the data.

Also, the number of domestic tourist visits to all states and Union Territories in India surged to 1,731 million in 2022, marking a "significant growth" from the 677 million in 2021, it said.