Foreign tourist arrivals up 14% in India
Foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) in India has seen a 14 per cent jump in 2017 as compared to 2016. The foreign exchange earnings (FEE) in the sector in 2017 was Rs 1,77,874 crore, said Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons.
He said India ranks 26th in the world in arrival of global tourists and is one of the highest growing tourist economies in the world. The minister also said that there is a shortage of two lakh rooms in the tourism sector, mostly in the mid-segment.
The minister said there has been a 28.8 per cent increase in domestic tourist visits in the country between 2014 and 2017 while 20.4 per cent jump in foreign tourist visits in the same period. As many as 10.04 million foreign tourists have visited the country in 2017 which was a growth of 14 percent in comparison to the previous year, he said.
“Since the inception of PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) in 2014-15, so far 28 sites/destinations in 21 States have been selected for the infrastructure development. Also, total of 24 projects have been sanctioned in 16 States with the approved cost of Rs 727.16 crore and an amount of Rs 270.24 crore has been released for these projects till date,” Alphons said.