Foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) to India declined by 9.4 per cent to 90.2 lakh in 2025, primarily due to a sharp fall in visitors from Bangladesh following visa restrictions imposed amid strained bilateral relations, official data released by the Ministry of Tourism showed on Saturday.
Arrivals from Bangladesh plunged by 73.37 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year. The number of Bangladeshi tourists dropped to 4,66,012 in 2025 from 17,50,165 in 2024, marking the steepest fall among all source markets.
India imposed restrictions on visas for Bangladeshi nationals after August 5, 2024, citing security concerns. Diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have remained tense since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government were ousted following a violent student-led agitation in July–August 2024.
Tourism Ministry data suggested that the overall contraction in inbound travel was largely driven by the Bangladesh factor. Excluding Bangladesh, foreign tourist arrivals registered a positive growth of 4.25 per cent in 2025, indicating resilience in other key international markets.
The United States remained India’s largest source market, accounting for 1.81 million arrivals. The United Kingdom followed with 1.07 million visitors. Other prominent source countries included Australia (0.54 million) and Canada (0.53 million).
While inbound tourism weakened, outbound travel by Indian residents continued to grow. India recorded 327.1 lakh outbound tourist visits between January and December 2025, reflecting a 5.9 per cent rise over 2024 and a 21.5 per cent increase compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The United Arab Emirates emerged as the most preferred overseas destination, accounting for 26.3 per cent of total outbound visits. It was followed by Saudi Arabia (10.3 per cent), Thailand (6.8 per cent), the United States (6.1 per cent) and Singapore (4.7 per cent).
Leisure travel constituted 43.5 per cent of outbound visits, while travel linked to the Indian diaspora accounted for 34.1 per cent. Business travel represented 14.6 per cent of the total.
Among departure points, Delhi led with a 22.7 per cent share, followed by Mumbai at 19.9 per cent, underscoring the continued dominance of major metropolitan hubs in international travel flows.
Also read: 1.77 crore tourists visited J&K in 2025: Govt
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