indiabusinessview (https://indiabusinessview.com/tag/tourism/)
India’s travel and tourism market in 2011 is seeing healthy demand, going by the numbers being put out by the Ministry of Tourism.
In September, foreign tourist arrivals rose by 8.7% to 4.01 lakh numbers, and as we head into the main tourist season, the Indian tourism industry is set to end 2011 on a high note.
Spending by foreign tourists, labelled as foreign exchange earnings by the government, rose by 23% in rupee terms and by 19% in dollar terms in September, over the year ago period.
The ASI’s monuments in India are doing brisk business as both Indians and foreigners flock to sample India’s history and culture. Revenues from tickets at monuments rose by about 12% to Rs 87 crore in 2010-11.
Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan’s tribute to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, is the country’s top tourist attraction. The data from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on revenue from entrance fees at Indian monuments owned by the government, shows that Taj Mahal alone grossed around 23% of the total earnings for in 2010-11, at about Rs 20 crore.
There has been a steady improvement in tourist arrivals in recent months, minimising the sharp decline that was visible earlier. In October 2009, tourist arrivals dipped by just 0.9% to 4.48 lakh numbers. This is much better than the 4.1% decline in September and 8.6% in August. Typically, the next few months will be the peak season for foreign tourist arrivals and a good season will bring relief to the tourism and travel industry.