India eyes doubling of foreign tourists to 20m by 2020

India, which saw a record 10 million Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in 2017, is aiming to double this number in the next three years, Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons said today.

"We crossed 10 million FTAs in 2017, and if we include non-resident Indians visiting the country then the number went up to over 17 million. In dollar terms, our earnings have gone up by 20.2 per cent, which is a very good growth compared to the world tourism that grew by less than five per cent," the minister said on the sidelines of OTM 2018.

These are very encouraging numbers and the government is working towards doubling both the FTAs and foreign exchange earnings in the next three years, he added.


"To make this possible we are working with the state governments and with the industry, as they have a big role to play. So we are all working together and make this possible," he said.

India is doing very well internationally - it is 13th in the world and 7th in the Asia-Pacific in terms of FTAs, the minister said. He also pointed to the beneficial economic impact of this. "We are getting good spenders who are contributing 6.88 per cent to the GDP, and we are also contributing 12.6 per cent to the employment."

Alphons said the upcoming Tourism Policy should be out in two or three months as "we are incorporating new ideas", and expressed hope that Budget 2018 would allocate more funds to tourism than last year.

Maharashtra Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal, who was also present at the event, said Mumbai has one of the best airports in the world and is also building a world-class cruise port.

"We are building an international cruise port with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore, which funded by the government at Mazagon Dock. It will be operational by 2020," Rawal added.

In the 3-day OTM 2018, which is organised by Fairfest Media, over 45 countries, over 21 states and Union Territories and over 1,100 exhibitors are participating.