India sees a 24.2 % increase in tourist arrivals

Foreign tourist footfall in India has increased by 24.2 per cent last year, according to the Indian Ministry of Tourism. Foreign tourist arrivals rose to 17.9 million last year compared to 14.4 million the previous year. According to the Ministry of Tourism, domestic figures also saw an increase of 10.7 per cent. Figures increased to 740 million last year from 669 million in 2009 and 563 million in 2008. "The numbers from here have been increasing. During hotter seasons, tourists like to go travel from the UAE to certain areas in India where it's cooler," said a spokesperson from India Tourism office in Dubai. "There are also a lot of people visiting India for medical tourism. We have a lot of natural medicines. It is also much cheaper." Article continues below According to Sudhir Kumar, the assistant general at the office, the majority of tourists coming from the UAE are Indians coming home. Popular states The top 10 most popular states accounted for 85 per cent of the footfall. Andhra Pradesh led with 156 million tourists followed by Uttar Pradesh, where Taj Mahal is located, at 145 million. Maharashtra had the most impressive growth, rising from 23 million in the previous year to nearly 50 million last year. As tourism figures grow, the infrastructure also needs to catch up. The Indian government has identified a shortage of 150,000 to 170,000 hotel rooms. According to Chintamani Agashe, director at Indiawide, the number may be higher because this may not have taken into account spikes in tourism.