Ahmedabad : Gujarat emerged as the third most visited state in India by foreign tourists in 2024, according to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, issued by the Union ministry of tourism. International tourist arrivals (ITAs) into the country rose to 20.57 million, marking an 8.89% increase over the previous year.According to official data, the top five states for foreign tourist visits (FTVs) during the year were Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Maharashtra led the tally with 3.7 million foreign tourists, followed by West Bengal at 3.1 million. Gujarat recorded 2.274 million foreign tourist visits, marginally ahead of Uttar Pradesh (2.26 million) and Rajasthan (2.07 million). According to travel industry players, Gujarat has a diverse range of interests among foreign tourists. These range from the World Heritage City of Ahmedabad and its 600-year-old heritage to the forest trails in Sasan Gir, desert tourism in the Rann of Kutch, and heritage tourism in Dholavira.Speaking about the factors that drove tourism to Gujarat, Virendra Shah, former chairperson, Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI) Gujarat, said, “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.
This is a major factor driving tourism. Several non-resident Indians (NRIs) 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.””Due to the economic development of the states and due to many projects established in Gujarat, business travellers are attracted to meetings and the execution of new projects. 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,” Shah further added.Despite a year-on-year decline from 2.8 million foreign tourist visits in 2023, Gujarat accounted for 10.86% of the country’s total FTVs in 2024. Its share of domestic tourism was 7.1%.Speaking about the challenges, Manish Sharma, a travel expert from Ahmedabad, said, “Gujarat has tremendous tourism potential.
However, two challenges still persist. The state’s tourism needs to be marketed well. 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.
“In the past three years, several leading hospitality chains such as Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), Hyatt Hotels, Radisson Group, Lemon Tree Hotels, ITC Group and Pride Hotels, among others, forayed into Gujarat’s hinterlands, setting up properties in Mandvi, Kutch, Una, Gir, Dholera, Godhra, Somnath, Dwarka, Palitana, Ektanagar and beyond. “Availability of plush accommodation in those areas also made a huge difference in attracting foreign tourists to Gujarat,” said a travel company owner from the city.At the national level, NRI arrivals touched 10.62 million in 2024. Region-wise data showed that Asia and the Pacific remained the largest source of foreign tourists to India, contributing 43% of total arrivals, followed by Europe at 26.7% and North America at 23.1%.
