Himachal Pradesh has witnessed a concerning dip in its appeal to international travelers, with foreign tourist visits (FTVs) remaining disappointingly low. Recent figures released by the government reveal that the picturesque hill state welcomed only 62,806 foreign tourists in 2023 — a tiny fraction compared to India’s overall tally of 1,92,45,817 international arrivals. This figure represents a mere 0.33% share of the country’s total FTVs, signaling a significant challenge for Himachal’s tourism economy.
While the 2023 numbers are an improvement over the 29,333 foreign tourists recorded in 2022, they still fall far short of pre-COVID benchmarks, indicating a sluggish recovery in international tourism for the state.
Surprisingly, several smaller Indian states have surpassed Himachal in drawing overseas visitors. According to the Ministry of Tourism’s latest data, Goa welcomed 4,52,692 international tourists in 2023, while Uttarakhand attracted 1,43,027. Even Tripura and Sikkim outperformed Himachal in terms of foreign tourist footfall. Maharashtra emerged as the top destination for global tourists, recording an impressive 33,87,739 foreign arrivals, followed closely by Gujarat with 28,06,871.
These disparities highlight the urgent need for Himachal Pradesh to reassess its tourism strategy and enhance its global appeal to compete effectively on the international tourism map.
Before the pandemic, Himachal Pradesh welcomed significantly higher numbers of foreign travelers, with 4,70,992 international tourists visiting in 2017, followed by 3,56,568 in 2018 and 3,82,876 in 2019. However, the onset of COVID-19 dealt a heavy blow to the tourism industry, causing international tourist visits to crash dramatically to around 43,000 in 2020. While domestic tourism has made a remarkable comeback—attracting over 1.5 crore visitors in 2023—international tourist footfall continues to lag behind, currently standing at only about 20% of what it was before the pandemic.
Tourism stakeholders in Himachal Pradesh have voiced growing concerns over limited assistance from key central government tourism initiatives, including ‘Swadesh Darshan’, ‘Eco-Tourism’, and ‘PRASHAD’. As highlighted in a recent report by The Tribune, a local tourism operator named Rishi pointed out that Himachal has been largely left out of major promotional drives like ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ and ‘Bharat Parv’, which have helped boost tourism in several other states.
The report also cited a tourism sector beneficiary, Atul, who emphasized the unequal distribution of funds under the Swadesh Darshan scheme. According to Atul, while many other states secured funding upwards of Rs 2,000 crore, Himachal Pradesh was allocated a comparatively meager Rs 64.54 crore. Since 2014, out of the 76 Swadesh Darshan projects sanctioned nationwide and 34 under the revamped Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Himachal reportedly received just a single project worth Rs 64.54 crore.
If swift action isn’t taken, the state could see its flourishing international tourism sector slip away to other Indian destinations that are marketed more assertively.
The post India’s Himachal Pradesh Tourism Sector Grapples with a Drastic Fall in International Visitors in 2023 appeared first on Travel And Tour World.
