India’s Foreign Tourist Arrivals Down 9.4% in 2025 Amid Bangladesh Slump

India recorded a 9.4 per cent decline in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in 2025, with total inflows falling to 90.2 lakh (9.02 million) , according to official data. The contraction was largely driven by a sharp fall in visitors from Bangladesh amid continuing bilateral tensions.

Arrivals from Bangladesh plunged 73.37 per cent to 4,66,012 in 2025 from 17,50,165 the previous year, following visa restrictions imposed by India after August 2024 citing security concerns. Excluding Bangladesh, however, FTAs posted a 4.25 per cent growth , suggesting that the broader inbound market remains on a recovery path.

Despite the rebound in key long-haul markets, India’s foreign tourist volumes remain modest by global standards. While India attracts about 9 million visitors, countries such as France and Spain draw between 80–100 million annually, and even Thailand and the UAE receive significantly higher numbers. Dubai alone attracts more tourists than India as a whole, underlining India’s relatively low global tourism share despite its size and diversity.

The United States remained the top source market for India in 2025 with 1.81 million arrivals, followed by the United Kingdom (1.07 million), Australia and Canada. Industry observers note that India continues to rely substantially on neighbouring countries for tourist inflows, while long-haul markets, though growing, have yet to scale up significantly.

At the same time, outbound travel by Indians remained robust. The country recorded 327.1 lakh outbound tourist visits in 2025, up 5.9 per cent year-on-year and 21.5 per cent over pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The UAE was the leading destination, followed by Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United States and Singapore.

Leisure travel accounted for the largest share of outbound trips, reflecting strong consumer demand even as inbound tourism recovery remains uneven.