Instead of merely urging Indians to avoid foreign travel, the government must also focus on attracting more foreign tourists to the country to boost foreign exchange earnings as inbound tourism is still below pre-pandemic levels, the tourism industry said in response to the Prime Minister’s appeal to postpone overseas travel for a year as part of austerity measures amid the West Asia conflict.

The Prime Minister, during an address in Hyderabad on Sunday, urged citizens to exercise restraint in fuel consumption by embracing working from home and electric vehicles, pausing gold purchase and postponing foreign travel for a year as an act of patriotism

“While saving foreign exchange by reducing outbound travel is understandable, equal emphasis must be placed on earning foreign exchange by attracting more international tourists to India,” says the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH). 

Such a move “requires easing visa restrictions, improving connectivity, and significantly strengthening India’s tourism promotion abroad.”

India is yet to reach the pre-pandemic level of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs), which stood at 99,51,722 in 2024 as opposed to 1,09,30,355 in 2019, according to Ministry of Tourism’s data.

There also remains a stark imbalance between inbound and outbound tourism in India. For every foreign tourist visiting the country, nearly three Indians travelled overseas in 2024. 

Outbound travel from India in 2024 continued its upward trajectory, recording 30.89 million departures in 2024, growing 14.75% since 2019 when India recorded 26.92 million FTAs. Gulf nations dominated Indian travel preferences, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia emerging as the top two destinations. Together with Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, the five Gulf countries accounted for nearly half, or 45.73%, of all outbound Indian travellers.

In 2024, India’s Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism amounted to US$ 35.016 billion, registering a growth of 8.78% over US$ 32.189 billion in 2023. This accounted for approximately 2.02% of global tourism receipts.

Chairperson of the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council and former President of the Travel Agents Association of India, Jyoti Mayal, said calls to avoid foreign travel were “counterproductive” and could hurt travel agents as well as airlines.

“Foreign travel has already slowed sharply and is increasingly confined to discretionary spending, with airfares rising due to the Gulf conflict, longer flying routes and airlines scaling back aircraft deployment to manage fuel costs. Those determined to travel abroad will continue to do so regardless. The government’s focus, instead, should be on aggressive international marketing and stronger initiatives to drive inbound tourism to India,” she said. ENDS