New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The Sun Temple in Odisha’s Konark attracted 3.57 million domestic visitors in the financial year 2024-25, according to data published in a compendium released by the Ministry of Tourism at an event held here to mark World Tourism Day Saturday.
The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) figures for India reached 9.95 million in 2024, reflecting a 4.52 per cent rise from 2023, it says.
Among the centrally-protected ticketed monuments, Taj Mahal leads in visitor numbers for both domestic (6.26 million) and foreign (0.645 million) tourists in FY2024-25.
“Other popular sites for domestic visitors include the Sun Temple, Konark in Odisha (3.57 million) and Qutub Minar in Delhi (3.20 million). Foreign visitors favoured Agra Fort (0.22 million) and Qutub Minar (0.22 million) following Taj Mahal,” it said.
And, arrivals of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in India reached 10.62 million in 2024, reflecting a 13.22 per cent increase over 2023 and a substantial 52.15 per cent rise compared to the pre-pandemic level of 2019.
“This strong rebound highlights the growing confidence of the Indian diaspora in travelling to India post-pandemic,” the compendium says.
International Tourist Arrivals (ITAs) in India thus reached 20.57 million, reflecting an increase of 8.89 per cent over the previous year and 14.82 per cent compared to 2019, according to the 260-page India Tourism Data Compendium 2025.
At the event, Suman Bery, vice chairperson of the NITI Aayog, was the chief guest.
Union Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi presided over the event, while Suman Billa, additional secretary in the ministry, and other officials also attended it.
Bery, in his address, said, “Tourism is not just about leisure; it is a powerful instrument for economic transformation, environmental stewardship, and social inclusion.”
Globally, it has been shown by various countries that sustainable tourism can preserve biodiversity while generating livelihoods.
India has the same potential, but “we must embed sustainability at the core of our strategy, not at the margins,” he said.
“As we look ahead to Viksit Bharat 2047, our vision must be of a tourism sector that is green, inclusive, and future-ready where communities are not just participants but beneficiaries, and where India’s cultural and natural wealth is showcased to the world with pride,” Bery said.
The tourism sector was hit globally during the COVID-19 period, and according to the latest compendium, the year 2020 marked a significant downturn due to the pandemic, with FTAs declining by 74.93 per cent to 2.74 million.