Over 26,600 Pakistanis Visited India Before 2025 Ban; US Becomes Top Source of Foreign Tourists in 2024
In 2024, over 26,625 Pakistani nationals visited India — the highest number since 2022 — according to data from the Ministry of Tourism presented in the Rajya Sabha. Meanwhile, the United States overtook Bangladesh as India’s leading source of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs), contributing more than 18 lakh visitors — accounting for nearly one in every six international arrivals.
Indo-Pak Travel Before the 2025 Visa Ban
That same year, 30,620 Indian nationals travelled to Pakistan — a figure higher than the number of Pakistanis visiting India. This marked the second time since 2019 that Indian visitors to Pakistan outnumbered the reverse. However, travel between the two nations came to a halt after relations deteriorated in April 2025, following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 tourists were killed.
In response, India suspended visa services for Pakistani citizens and revoked all previously issued Indian visas to Pakistanis effective April 27, 2025. Pakistan retaliated by cancelling Indian visas.
As per the High Commission of India in Pakistan, there were ten categories of Indian visas available to Pakistani citizens: Assignment, Business, Conference, Journalist, Medical, Official, Pilgrimage, Student, Transit, and Visitor.
In turn, Pakistan issued visas to Indian nationals for Visit, Business, Conference, Pilgrimage, Diplomatic Assignments, and also for students, journalists, and international organisation representatives.
US Surpasses Bangladesh in Tourist Arrivals
India recorded an average of nearly 5,000 American tourists per day in 2024, totalling over 18.04 lakh visitors — placing the US ahead of Bangladesh as the top source of foreign tourists.
Other countries among the top five FTA contributors included the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Among these, only Bangladesh has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic tourism levels. While 25.77 lakh Bangladeshi tourists arrived in India in 2019, this number dropped to 17.50 lakh in 2024.
In contrast, FTAs from the USA rose from 15.12 lakh in 2019 to 18.04 lakh in 2024. Australia showed growth from 3.67 lakh to 5.18 lakh, and Canada from 3.51 lakh to 4.76 lakh. The UK’s increase was relatively small, with just 22,295 more arrivals than in 2019.
Near Recovery to Pre-Pandemic Tourist Volumes
India’s tourism industry has shown a steady recovery since 2022. In 2024, nearly one crore foreign tourist arrivals were recorded — just short of the 1.09 crore FTAs achieved in 2019.
Gujarat, West Bengal, Rajasthan Show Strong State-Level Tourism Growth
Although foreign tourist numbers have increased, the extent of their travel within India is yet to fully recover. Maharashtra — traditionally the most visited state by foreign tourists — has not reached its 2019 level of foreign tourist visits (FTVs).
However, several states have surpassed their pre-pandemic FTV numbers. Gujarat recorded a significant rise from 5.95 lakh in 2019 to 22.74 lakh in 2024.
West Bengal saw an increase from 16.56 lakh to 31.24 lakh, while Rajasthan went from 16.05 lakh to 20.72 lakh.
Other states and Union Territories that reported growth in 2024 compared to 2019 include Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Mizoram, Ladakh, Assam, Lakshadweep, and Nagaland.
Note: FTAs indicate foreign tourists entering India, while FTVs refer to total visits by foreign tourists to various Indian states and UTs — as one visitor may travel across multiple states.
UAE Remains Top Destination for Indian Tourists
While India received more foreign visitors, outbound travel also saw shifts. The UAE remained the most preferred international destination for Indian tourists, attracting one in every four Indian travellers abroad.
The number of Indian visitors to the UAE rose from 63.85 lakh in 2019 to 77.87 lakh in 2024.
Saudi Arabia and the United States followed as other key destinations for Indian outbound tourists.
Visitor Patterns in Neighbouring Countries
Tourist exchange with India’s immediate neighbours revealed varied trends.
FTAs from Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives rose in 2024, whereas arrivals from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, and Afghanistan declined when compared to 2019.
- Pakistan: FTAs dropped from 39,018 in 2019 to 26,625 in 2024.
- Bangladesh: 25.77 lakh (2019) to 17.50 lakh (2024)
- Sri Lanka: 3.30 lakh to 2.81 lakh
- Myanmar: 86,842 to 47,588
- China: 3.39 lakh to 38,960
- Afghanistan: 1.24 lakh to just 1,253
In contrast:
- Nepal: FTAs rose from 1.64 lakh to 2.02 lakh
- Bhutan: 28,178 to 41,265
On the outbound side, Indian departures to neighbouring countries saw increases for Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while travel to Afghanistan, Maldives, China, and Bhutan declined.
Looking Ahead
If current trends continue, 2025 may become the year India’s tourism sector fully rebounds to — or even exceeds — its pre-COVID peak in 2019.
