Tourist arrivals touch 3.5 mn
It could never have been better than this for the travel and tourism industry. In the first nine months of 2007, tourist arrivals have touched 3.5 million as against 3 million in the same period last year. According to the ministry of tourism (MoT), foreign exchange earnings from this sector have also shown a growth of 25%, at $5.6 billion, against $4.4 billion in the same period in 2006.

“The tourism sector is one of the fastest growing sectors. The reason for such a growth is that marketing of our campaigns have been direct and focused. Better connectivity has also helped in a larger way. In fact, efforts should be made to take advantage of the awe and curiosity India inspires among people all over the world with its ancient and diversified culture, world heritage sites and the great variety offered to visitors,” said Leena Nandan joint, secretary, MoT.

The industry’s growth can be gauged from the fact that the forex earnings from tourism has shown a phenomenal growth of 14.6% in one year — from $5.73 billion in 2005 to $6.56 billion in 2006. Though foreign tourist arrivals recorded a double-digit growth, domestic travel is the backbone of Indian tourism industry, with 460 million Indians travelling last year.