3 min readNew DelhiDec 23, 2025 06:25 AM IST
First published on: Nov 28, 2025 at 10:56 AM IST
The tourism sector grew significantly in India, recording 2,948.19 million domestic tourist visits in 2024, according to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, provided by the Ministry of Tourism.
It has shown a steady upward trajectory over the past decade, from 2011 to 2024; the country achieved a CAGR of 9.89 per cent across all states and union territories in the same period.
Year-wise domestic tourist visits in India (in millions) | Source: India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, Ministry of Tourism
While growth was consistent from 2011 to 2019, the industry faced a sharp downturn in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced restrictions.
But as the lockdown and restrictions were removed, the tourism circuit bounced back. India recorded a tourism increase of 11.05 per cent in 2021, 155.45 per cent in 2022, 45.04 per cent in 2023, and 17.51 per cent in 2024, the report said.
Uttar Pradesh tops tourism rankings, but South India had bulk of visitors
Three states from North India — Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh — were in the top 10 list, with UP topping the rankings.
A total of 894.933 million visitors were recorded in North last year. In contrast, the southern states recorded a higher visitor count 901.672 million. In the south, too, three states featured on the top-10 rankings.
Uttar Pradesh hosted the most visitors with 646.81 million domestic tourists and accounting for 21.94% of the national share. UP, which hosts the monuments like the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri, saw an increase in foreign tourist arrivals as well, attracting 2.269 million foreign visitors in 2024.
UP was followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, which together account for more than 30 per cent of India’s domestic tourist visits, reflecting the dominance of South India as a tourist destination.
Put together, the top five states (check table below) accounted for 60.38 per cent of the total domestic tourist visits in the country.
While looking at the domestic tourist visit (DTV) data for 2024, Chandigarh showed the most dramatic percentage growth, with DTV jumping by around 173%.
It was followed by the Andaman & Nicobar Islands at roughly 120% and Mizoram at about 102% growth over the previous year.
Top 10 most-visited Indian states by total domestic tourist arrivals in 2024-25:
🇮🇳 India records 2.95 billion domestic tourist visits in 2024; Top 5 states account for 60.38% of national tourism
Top 10 State Rankings by Domestic Tourist Arrivals
1
Uttar Pradesh
National Share: 21.94%
2023 Visitors: 478.52M
Growth: +35.17%
2
Tamil Nadu
National Share: 10.41%
2023 Visitors: 286.01M
Growth: +7.28%
3
Karnataka
National Share: 10.33%
2023 Visitors: 284.12M
Growth: +7.20%
4
Andhra Pradesh
National Share: 9.85%
2023 Visitors: 254.71M
Growth: +13.96%
5
Rajasthan
National Share: 7.80%
2023 Visitors: 179.05M
Growth: +28.50%
6
Gujarat
National Share: 6.24%
2023 Visitors: 178.07M
Growth: +3.34%
7
Maharashtra
National Share: 6.42%
2023 Visitors: 161.36M
Growth: +17.36%
8
West Bengal
National Share: 6.26%
2023 Visitors: 145.67M
Growth: +26.64%
9
Madhya Pradesh
National Share: 4.52%
2023 Visitors: 111.95M
Growth: +18.96%
10
Himachal Pradesh
National Share: 0.61%
2023 Visitors: 15.94M
Growth: +13.17%
India Tourism Overview 2024
Total Domestic Visits
2.95 Billion
Overall Growth (2024)
+17.51%
Top 5 States Share
60.38%
Source: India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, Ministry of Tourism. Data based on domestic tourist visits (DTV) reported by States/UTs Tourism Departments for 2024-25.
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Source: India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, Ministry of Tourism. Data is gathered by the States/UTs Tourism Department
Discover the top 10 most-visited Indian states in 2024-25 based on domestic tourist arrivals. See which states topped India's tourism charts this year. (Source: Freepik) 
Year-wise domestic tourist visits in India (in millions) | Source: India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, Ministry of Tourism
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