Bangladeshi tourist arrivals to India drop after political crisis, reveals data

India’s tourism industry, already under considerable strain, is facing additional challenges due to the recent political crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh.

According to a India.com report, citing government data, the decline in Bangladeshi tourists, after the political crisis and coup, has adversely affected India’s foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs).

This is especially concerning, as Bangladeshi tourists represent the largest group of foreign visitors to India, making up 20 per cent of total FTAs, added the report.

For Bangladeshi nationals, India serves not only as a travel destination but also as a hub for medical treatment and shopping.

According to the report, citing official data through August, 20.8 per cent of all tourists who visited India between January and August were from Bangladesh, down from 22.3 per cent during the same period last year.

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The situation worsened in August, with Bangladeshi tourists accounting for just 15.6 per cent of total arrivals, added the report.

The decline has been more pronounced on a monthly basis.

In July, Bangladeshi tourist arrivals fell by 20.3 per cent year-on-year, with only 157,000 visitors from Bangladesh that month. The numbers dropped further in August, plummeting by 38.1 per cent annually to just 99,000 visitors. From January to August, the total number of Bangladeshi tourists decreased by 9.1 per cent, totaling 1.286 million, reported India.com.

Ever since COVID-19 pandemic, India’s tourism sector has been struggling to recover fully.

In 2019, the country welcomed over 1.09 crore foreign tourists, but that number fell to 27.45 lakh in 2020 and 15.27 lakh in 2021 due to strict lockdowns and travel restrictions.

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While there was some recovery in 2022, with 6.191 million tourists visiting India, the figures still fell short of pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, the total reached 9.236 million, and as of August 2024, the foreign tourist arrivals stand at 61.91 lakh, still well below 2019 figures.

In contrast, neighboring destinations like Qatar, Dubai, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka have surpassed pre-pandemic foreign tourist arrivals.

For instance, Qatar reported a 47 per cent increase in foreign tourists compared to pre-pandemic levels, highlighting the challenges India faces in reclaiming its status as a leading travel destination, added the report.

With inputs from agencies