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Many of us are making grand travel plans to welcome 2026 in style. We anticipate meeting friends settled overseas, joining family on holiday excursions, and reconnecting with remote coworkers at beautiful locales. A common thread among all these travelers is that as India’s economy expands, Indians are increasingly investing in travel and seeking novel ways to enjoy tourism. (Image: Reuters)
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It’s safe to say that Indians are not only delving into domestic landscapes but are also on the lookout for uncharted foreign destinations. The newly released India Tourism Data Compendium 2025 sheds light on the trends in domestic and outbound travel patterns of Indians. Let’s delve into ten insights on how Indians traveled in 2024. (Image: PTI)
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No 1. Surge in outbound travel | In 2024, 30.89 million Indians ventured abroad, marking a 10.79% increase compared to 2023. This year, India crossed the 30 million threshold for the first time since Independence. The number of Indians traveling overseas has skyrocketed by an impressive 1,500% since 1991, when India enacted economic liberalization. Factors such as higher disposable income, enhanced air connectivity, and increased awareness of global destinations have contributed to this international travel boom. Image: Shutterstock)
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No 2. Dominance of West Asia | The West Asia region continued to dominate Indian travel departures in 2024, primarily due to its status as a hub for Indian expatriates. Over 14.60 million Indians, which is approximately 47.53% of total departures, traveled to West Asia. This represented a 13.60% increase compared to 2019 and a 7.62% rise over 2023. Five of the ten largest travel destinations are located in West Asia. The United Arab Emirates remained the top destination, attracting about 7.8 million Indians in 2024, accounting for over 25% of total departures. Saudi Arabia followed in second place, while Qatar (7th), Kuwait (9th), and Oman (10th) also made the top ten. (Image: Canva)
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No 3. Emerging favorites | Vietnam has surfaced as a leading travel destination for Indians, luring nearly 400,000 visitors in 2024. The report indicates that Southeast Asian nations witnessed a remarkable 324% growth in Indian travelers from 2019 to 2024. Georgia closely followed in second place, seeing a 320% increase in Indian visitors during the same timeframe. Azerbaijan claimed third place, attracting 283% more Indian tourists in this period. However, Azerbaijan’s support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor caused a 56% decline in Indian tourist numbers from May to August 2025. (Image: Shutterstock)
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No 4. Peak travel in May | Statistics reveal that May is the peak month for Indian travelers, coinciding with the annual summer break. In 2024, over 2.94 million Indians traveled abroad, representing 9.53% of total international departures. Between 2019 and 2024, May saw a 23.48% increase in international travels. Conversely, February had the lowest number of Indian departures, with 2.318 million Indians traveling internationally, making up just 7.51% of total departures. (Image: Shutterstock)
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No 5. Leading gateway airports | Delhi Airport accounted for the highest number of departures at 7.40 million, making up 23.97% of the total departures. Mumbai Airport followed with 6.23 million departures, handling 20.16% of international flights from India. Cochin Airport was a distant third with 2.31 million international departures (7.48%). Collectively, these three airports facilitated over 15.93 million departures, representing 51.61% of total international departures.
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No 6. Explosion in domestic travel | Domestic tourist visits have experienced a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.89% from 2011 to 2024. In 2024, India recorded 2.94 billion domestic tourist visits, a 21% increase compared to the 2019 figure of 2.32 billion. Since 2011, the total number of domestic tourist visits has more than tripled. (Image: PTI)
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No 7. Dominance of major states | Uttar Pradesh attracted a staggering 646.81 million domestic tourist visits, ranking first among Indian states. This populous state accounted for 21.94% of total domestic tourists. Tamil Nadu followed at a distance with 306.84 million visits. Karnataka (304.56 million), Andhra Pradesh (290.27 million), and Rajasthan (230.08 million) secured the third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively. Together, these five states represented 60.38% of all domestic tourist visits.
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No 8. Low domestic tourist arrivals | Among the larger states with a population of at least 50 lakhs, Haryana was the least visited by domestic tourists. The state recorded merely 1.89 million domestic tourist visits in 2024, a nearly 6% decrease compared to 2023. Other less-visited states included Assam (7.6 million), Odisha (11 million), Himachal Pradesh (18.04 million), and Kerala (22.24 million). (Image: Shutterstock)
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No 9. Heritage sites as crowd favorites | The Taj Mahal in Agra (6.26 million) topped the list as the most visited monument in 2024 by domestic tourists, followed by the Sun Temple in Konark (3.57 million) and Qutub Minar in Delhi (3.20 million). All three sites are managed by the Archaeological Survey of India, which levies an entry fee to fund the conservation and maintenance of these historical attractions. (Image: Shutterstock)
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No 10. Upcoming tourism records | As per government statistics, India logged 3.03 billion domestic tourist visits until August 2025, indicating that the domestic tourism sector is on track to achieve a record high in 2025. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) predicts that domestic tourist visits may reach 5.2 billion by 2030, accompanied by a potential surge in domestic tourism expenditure, estimated to hit Rs 33.95 trillion in the next decade. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
