- Gujarat ranked third among Indian states in foreign tourist visits in 2024.
- The state accounted for 10.86 percent of India’s total FTVs.
- International tourist arrivals to India rose 8.89 percent YoY to 20.57 million.
GUJARAT RANKED THIRD among Indian states in foreign tourist visits in 2024, attracting 2.274 million visitors, according to India’s tourism ministry. International tourist arrivals to India rose to 20.57 million, an 8.89 percent increase from the previous year.
In the Tourism Ministry’s “India Tourism Data Compendium 2025”, Maharashtra led with 3.7 million foreign tourists, followed by West Bengal with 3.1 million. Gujarat recorded 2.274 million foreign tourist visits, ahead of Uttar Pradesh at 2.26 million and Rajasthan at 2.07 million.
Foreign tourists visit Gujarat for sites ranging from Ahmedabad’s World Heritage areas to forest trails in Sasan Gir, desert tourism in the Rann of Kutch and heritage sites in Dholavira, The Economic Times reported, citing travel industry players.
"Flight connectivity to Ahmedabad has tremendously improved, with more international destinations getting connected through direct flights, in addition to a number of connections via Delhi and Mumbai,” said Virendra Shah, Travel Agents' Association of India Gujarat’s former chairperson, according to the Times. “This is a major factor driving tourism. Several nonresident Indians return to India year after year to visit friends and family, and they also tend to travel. Moreover, the thriving and expanding business presence in Gujarat, with various multinational corporations investing here, is also drawing a number of foreign nationals to tourist destinations like Ahmedabad."
Despite a decline from 2.8 million foreign tourist visits in 2023, Gujarat accounted for 10.86 percent of the country’s total FTVs in 2024. Its share of domestic tourism was 7.1 per cent.
Shah said economic development and new projects in Gujarat attract business travellers for meetings and project execution.
"Various sightseeing locations like the Statue of Unity and Saputara are also becoming centres of attraction for travellers from other states, over and above foreign tourists,” he said.
Manish Sharma, a travel expert from Ahmedabad, said Gujarat has tourism potential, but two challenges remain.
“The state's tourism needs to be marketed well,” he said. “We are not just home to Rannotsav and Sasan Gir. For instance, border tourism at Nadabet can be promoted. The right marketing on international forums should be handled by the state tourism department. Gujarat is also home to several heritage properties that were once the homes of the royals. Even these can be promoted through a heritage trail circuit. That apart, facilities need to come up at tourist destinations for better transportation and road connectivity, over and above hotels and accommodation."
India’s Union Budget 2026–27 places tourism at the centre of employment, infrastructure and regional development. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shifted the focus from destination promotion to capacity building, combining investments in skills, heritage, digital systems and connectivity with measures to support global travel and mobility.
