Indian Tourist

Philippines to now allow visa-free entry to Indians: All you need to know

The 14-day visa-free entry may be extended by an additional seven days for a maximum of 21 days stay, the embassy said

Ooty tourists struggle as shops shut, autos on strike over e-pass rule

Commercial establishments downed shutters while autos and tourist taxies kept off roads here on Wednesday in protest against the e-pass system implemented in line with a court verdict to keep the movement of vehicles under check. The agitation severely affected tourists who complained of exorbitant pricing of available hotel rooms and food. The protest, which was total, mainly affected the tourists as they did not have access to hotel rooms and food as hotels and restaurants remained closed. People queued up at the state-run Amma Canteens, while roadside vendors sprang up at various places to sell food items. Amma Canteens are named after late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and the outlets sell food at subsidised rates. Moulana from Kerala said food was being sold at exorbitant prices. The hotel which had rented out a room for him till Tuesday at Rs 5000 was now demanding Rs 15,000, he claimed and wanted a mechanism to keep hotel tariff under check. Rajesh, a local, also pointed to

Israel anticipates more Indian tourists amid possible easing tensions

As gunfire echoed and smoke filled the air, a steadfast stream of pilgrims from Kerala made its way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Israel. Undeterred by the region's unrest, these devotees undertook a journey to the Holy Sepulchre, which houses Christ's tomb, driven by faith. For centuries, Christians worldwide have flocked to this revered site, and for Keralites, especially Christian faithfuls, its appeal remains strong. The data from the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) reveals that 9,600 Indian tourists visited Israel in 2024, with 50 per cent of them travelling for pilgrimage--most of them from Kerala. According to an IMOT spokesperson, in the current scenario, Israel expects more pilgrim tourists from Kerala. "We are expecting around 70,000 tourists travelling to Israel from India this year, and of this, 48 per cent are pilgrims," Amruta Bangera, Director of Marketing, IMOT-India told PTI. All the tourist attractions are completely safe, and the safety of tourists i

Indian passengers land at Kolkata airport from Bangkok after Thailand quake

Indian tourists, a significant portion of Thailand's visitors, began returning to India as soon as the deadly quake's effects were felt

India tops Nepal's tourist list in Jan despite decline in visitor numbers

India remains Nepal's largest source of foreign tourists in January, but the number of visitors from the country saw a slight decline in the month, according to official data released on Monday. Of nearly 80,000 foreign tourists who visited Nepal last month, 20,485 were Indians, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said. This marks a 15.1 per cent decrease compared to January 2024, when 24,139 Indians arrived in the country by air. Indian tourists primarily enter Nepal through border points, using road and vehicle routes, but NTB's records only account for those arriving by air. China, Nepal's second-largest tourism market, saw a contrasting trend. In January, 8,191 Chinese tourists visited Nepal, reflecting a 12.7 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. The US ranks third among Nepal's top tourist sources. In January, 8,063 Americans visited the Himalayan nation, marking a 14.9 per cent increase from the previous year. Other key sources of tourists included Bangladesh

India 2nd largest market for US in terms of tourist arrivals: Brand USA CEO

India is the second largest overseas market for the US in terms of tourist arrivals and the healthy growth in Indians visiting America is expected to continue in 2025, Brand USA CEO Fred Dixon has said. India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world for US tourism and 2.2 million Indians travelled to America in 2024, which is a 24 per cent growth over the previous years. It's almost a 50 per cent growth since 2019, he told PTI. Asked about the share of Indian tourists among all tourists who visited the US, he said India has climbed each year in terms of its importance to the US in ranking. "In 2024, India has moved to the second largest overseas market. Just behind the UK and just ahead of Germany," said Dixon, who was in Hyderabad for an India sales mission. Given the rapid growth in the last two years, Indians visiting the US is expected to continue in 2025, he said. A record number of visitor visas were issued to Indians last year and five million Indians today hold v

Record 71.7% increase in Indian tourists visiting Malaysia in 2024

A record 71.7 per cent increase in travellers from India to Malaysia was witnessed in 2024, attributed to the rise in flight connectivity between the two nations, Consul General of Malaysia in Chennai, Saravana Kumar Kumaravasagam, said here. With Malaysia extending the 30-day visa exemption for Indian nationals until December 2026, he described it as a "significant milestone" in enhancing connectivity between India and Malaysia. "This is a golden opportunity for the people of Tamil Nadu and across India to explore Malaysia's rich cultural heritage, pristine beaches, and vibrant cities without the hassle of applying for a visa," Kumar said in a press release on Saturday. As Malaysia remains a key destination for Indian travellers, this extension of the 30-day visa exemption ensures seamless travel, he added. Tourism Malaysia's Chennai Director, Hishamuddin Mustafa, noted that the visa exemption not only simplifies travel but also reaffirms Malaysia's commitment to being a preferred

'Chai and samosas': US hotels welcome Indian tourist boom to revive revenue

Nearly 1.9 million Indian tourists visited the U.S. in the first ten months of 2024, a nearly 48% rise from 2019, according to data from the U.S. National Trade and Tourism Office (NTTO)

Total foreign tourist arrivals stood at 9.52 million in 2023: Govt

The contribution of tourism sector to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2022-23 stood at five per cent, the government informed Parliament on Monday. In a written response in the Lok Sabha, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also said that in 2023, the total foreign tourist arrivals stood at 9.52 million. Among these, tourists who travelled for leisure holiday and recreation accounted for 46.2 per cent while the share of Indian diaspora was 26.9 per cent, according to data shared in the response. The minister said as per the third Tourism Satellite Account, 2015-16, the percentage contribution of tourism sector to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2018-19 stood at 5.01 per cent, while the share for 2022-23 was five per cent. For 2020-21, it was 1.50 per cent and 1.75 per cent for 2021-22. In response to another query, the minister said that to facilitate the visit of foreign nationals to come to India for medical treatment, the government

With visa-free norm ending soon, Indian tourists surge to Thailand

With more seats being added, the average base fare has also come down from $153 last year to $144 now

Indian tourist bus that plunged into Nepal's Marsyangdi River pulled out

An Indian tourist bus which plunged into the Marsyangdi River in central Nepal last week, killing 25 Indian pilgrims, was pulled out on Monday, authorities said. The bus with an Uttar Pradesh registration was pulled out from the river by using a crane after closing the Mugling-Anbukhaireni road section of the national highway for four hours since Monday morning, according to Deputy Spokesperson of Armed Police Force Shailendra Thapa. The bus veered off the highway and fell into the fast-flowing Marsyangdi River at Abu Khaireni in the Tanahun district of the Gandaki province last Friday. The accident killed 25 pilgrims from Maharashtra. The driver and his assistant from Uttar Pradesh were also killed. The accident also injured 16 others. The accident site lies on the national highway, some 90 km west of Kathmandu. Initially, a single crane was used to pull the bus out, but then another crane was put to use to complete the task. Passengers were stranded on the highway for hours whi

South Africa plans visa waiver for Indian tourists: What you must know

Tourism South Africa has set an ambitious goal of attracting 100,000 Indian tourists in 2024

Thailand extends visa waiver plan for Indian, Taiwanese tourists for 6 mths

The temporary extension follows the success of the initial waiver in November last year. Indian and Taiwanese tourists are normally eligible to stay in Thailand for 15 days under a visa-on-arrival

Singapore aims to cross pre-Covid levels of Indian tourist arrivals: STB

Singapore is hoping to cross the pre-Covid level of tourist arrivals from India this year, with a strong focus on family, MICE and film tourism segment, a top official of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has said. In 2023, Singapore saw a footfall of 1.07 million visitors from India, which is 76 per cent of the pre-Covid era. During January-March, 2024 over 2,45,380 Indians have already visited Singapore, which is 81.8 per cent recovery from the pre-Covid period. The 'Garden City' had received 2,99,990 Indian tourists during January-March 2019. "It's not difficult to achieve (pre-Covid levels of tourist arrivals from India this year) with an increase in the number of Indian passports, the rise of the middle class and strong connectivity between both the countries," STB's regional director - India, Middle East, South Asia and Africa, Markus Tan told PTI over a telephonic conversation. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is also focusing on Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition

Saudi Arabia eyes 7.5 mn Indian visitors by 2030, offers 96-hour free visa

When queried about the Indian market's role in Saudi Arabia, Aldabbagh asserted, 'India is a priority market for Saudi. Last year alone, we welcomed 1.5 million visitors from India

'Turkiye aims 30% rise in tourists from India in 2024, seeks partnerships'

Trkiye, a popular tourist destination, is eyeing a 30 per cent jump in arrivals of Indian travellers in 2024 and looking for partnerships for tourism growth in the two countries, a senior official said. In an interview with PTI, Turkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism Deputy General Director of Promotion Onur Gozet said that the country remains committed to foster bilateral ties in tourism and seamless travel experiences between the two countries. "We attach great importance to the development of our bilateral tourism relations. Therefore, as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, we are ready to support the Indian tourism authority to increase the number of Turkish visitors in India," Gozet said. He said they have been in close cooperation with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), the biggest tourism association in India. Gozet said there is an increasing popularity of Trkiye among Indian tourists with arrivals growing by 17 per cent to an estimated 2.7 lakh visitors in 20

New York City expects to welcome 383,000 travellers from India in 2024

New York City, which marked 93 per cent recovery of the City's record 2019 visitation levels, is expecting 14 per cent growth in footfalls from India this year to around 3,83,000 travellers with its diverse offerings. The City welcomed 3,36,000 travellers from India in 2023, New York City Tourism + Conventions said in a statement. Overall, New York City welcomed 61.8 million travellers in 2023, marking a recovery of 93 per cent of the City's record 2019 visitation levels, which remains on track to welcome 64.5 million visitors this year. "We were pleased to be back in India, a rapidly growing feeder market for New York City tourism, for our annual sales mission. Recently, we introduced the Travel Trade Academy program, enriched with Hindi subtitles to ensure that the Indian travel trade can fully engage with the five-borough destination. By incorporating Hindi subtitles, we aim to empower the trade to adeptly respond to evolving consumer demands," Tourism Market Development for New

Now, pay for Paris' Eiffel Tower visit through India's UPI, says NPCI

Eiffel Tower is the first merchant to offer UPI payments in France, and the service will soon be extended to other merchants in the tourism and retail space across France and Europe

Saudi Arabia steps up efforts to welcome 7.5 mn Indian travellers by 2030

Saudi Arabia has stepped up its effort to attract tourists from India and is eyeing to welcome 7.5 million travellers from the country by 2030, Saudi Tourism Authority Trade Markets Director, India and the Subcontinent, Meshaal Qureshi said on Wednesday. India is the third biggest source of tourists in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. "India is Saudi's third biggest source market in the APAC region, with 1.18 million visits in 2023 alone so far, while more than 1.88 million expats from India live and work in Saudi," Qureshi said while addressing Nusuk roadshow. "We are pleased to see increasing demand for travel from India to Saudi for spiritual and leisure purposes especially as we aim to welcome 7.5 million Indian travellers by 2030," he said. In 2022, Saudi Arabia saw one million Indian visitors who were the highest spenders among all its source markets globally due to the Visit Friends and Relatives (VFR) segment, he said. Qureshi said with collaboration and innovation, Saudi .

India among San Francisco's top market for tourism growth recovery

The city witnesses a large number of Indian tourists visiting friends and relatives, staying in the nearby Silicon Valley