Foreign tourist arrivals on the rise but shy of 2019 peak as season begins

Winter travel will test India's return to the global travel map

India’s peak tourist season from October through December will determine whether the country can regain its pre-pandemic level of foreign tourist arrivals — a marker of whether it has truly returned to the global tourism map. 

The domestic tourism graph has risen, but foreign visitors remain an elusive cohort. Ministry of Tourism data shows foreign tourist arrivals peaked at 10.93 million in 2019 before the pandemic halted the momentum. Arrivals rebounded to 6.44 million in 2022, climbed to 9.52 million in 2023, and reached 9.95 million in 2024. As of August 2025, they stood at 5.6 million, below the 6.3