International tourist arrivals hit record high in 2017 with India leading the growth in South Asian region. According to data from the UN’s tourism organisation, a total of 1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations around the world. The figure represents an 84 million increase over 2016, and a new record.
The sector also recording uninterrupted growth in arrivals for eight consecutive years. The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, said in a press release, positive results in South Asia were largely driven by the strong performance of India, the subregion’s largest destination, which benefited from increasing demand from western source markets and simpler visa procedures.
In India, international tourists arrivals grew from 14.57 million in 2016 to 15.54 million in 2017. International tourism receipts for India grew from 22.42 billion dollars in 2016 to 27.36 billion dollars last year.
Europe and Africa led the regions with increases in arrivals, with growth of eight per cent and nine per cent, respectively. The UNWTO said, these results were driven by sustained travel demand for destinations across all world regions, including a firm recovery by those that have suffered from security challenges in recent years.
