Top 10 Most Visited States of India by Foreign Tourists Arrivals
India is one of the fastest growing travel destinations in the world. A large number of foreign tourists arrives each year in India. The number of travel packages / tour packages sold by Indian travel companies are increasing year over year. The country offers diversified culture, natural beauty, and much more.
In this article, Traveljee has compiled a list of 10 most visited states of India by foreign tourists arrivals.
Top 10 Most Visited States of India by Foreign Tourists Arrivals
1. Maharashtra
Maharashtra is the fastest growing industrial state of India. Mumbai, Pune and Aurangabad are the most popular tourist destinations in Maharashtra. Recently, Aurangabad was declared as the tourism capital of the state due to heavy flow of tourists arrivals. 4,815,421 foreign tourists visited Maharashtra i.e. 24.7 % of total foreign tourists arrived in India.
There are lots of popular tourist attractions in Maharashtra such as, the Gateway of India, Ajanta and Ellora caves, Khandala, Lonavala, Lavasa, Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar and much more.
2. Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is a remarkable state with good number of spiritual places in the state. Tamil Nadu is the second most visited state in India in terms of foreign tourists arrivals in India. 3,373,870 foreign tourists arrived in Tamil Nadu which counts 17.3 % in total share of foreign tourists arrivals in India.
Tamil Nadu has many tourist attractions including world heritage sites such as, the Chola Temples, The Nilgiri Mountain Railway and group of Monuments in Mahabalipuram.
3. Delhi
Delhi is the national capital as well as partial-state. Due to national capital and historical city, Delhi is the third most visited state of India with total 2,159,925 foreign tourists arrivals, which counts share of 11.1%.
Delhi has many historical and popular tourist places such as Rashtrapati Bhavan, Sansad Bhavan, Red Fort, Chandni Chowk, Purana Qila, Akshardham Temple, Qutub Minar and so many others.
4. Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh is the largest state of India in terms of population. UP is the fourth most visited state in India with total number of foreign visitors 1,887,095 which converts to share of 9.7%.
Uttar Pradesh is the birth place of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. Taj Mahal is situated in the city of Agra which is one of the seven wonders of the world.
5. Rajasthan
Rajasthan is the fifth most visited state of India. Rajasthan is the most popular destination for royal palaces of maharajas. Besides royal palaces, the state has beautiful desert, natural places and lakes.
1,351,974 foreign tourists visited Rajasthan which converts to 6.9% share in total. Rajasthan’s most popular tourist cities are Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mount Abu and Pushkar.
6. West Bengal
West Bengal was once a centre of political power in British India. Marvelous architecture was built by the British India government. Most of these constructed buildings are preserved and popular among the foreign tourists.
West Bengal was visited by 1,213,270 foreign tourists which converts to 6.2% share in total foreign tourists arrivals in India.
7. Bihar
Bihar is one of the most ancient states in the world with history dating back to 3000 years. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations among the foreign tourists in India. 972,487 foreign tourists visited Bihar which converts to 5% share in total arrivals.
Bihar has a large number of archaeological sites which are preserved very well. Mahabodhi Temple, Nalanda and Barabar Caves are few examples of such historical sites.
8. Kerala
Kerala is one of the most educated states in India. It’s a beautiful coastal state with variety of marine life. Kerala is widely known as the “God’s own country” which attracts large number of foreign tourists.
732,985 foreign tourists visited Kerala which converts to 3.8 share in total foreign tourists arrivals. Munnar, Varkala beach and Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad are popular tourist attractions of Kerala.
9. Karnataka
Karnataka is the 8th largest state in India in terms of population. It is 9th most visited state in India with total 574,005 foreign tourists arrivals which translates to 2.9% share.
Karnataka has many beautiful and historical tourist places such as, Gol Gumbaz Bijapur, Ravana Phadi cave at Aihole (Pattadakal), Hampi and Bangalore.
10. Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a widely known travel destination for its natural places and beautiful hills. Himachal Pradesh is the 10th most visited state in India with total 484,518 foreign tourists arrivals which converts to 2.5% share in total.
Shimla, Dharmshala (home of Dalai Lama), Kalka-Shimla Railway, Manali and Kasauli are the most popular tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh.
Related: Top 10 Largest Cities in India by Population
Note: The list is based on 2015 figures.
Article Title: Top 10 Most Visited States of India by Foreign Tourists Arrivals
Article last re-published on February 4, 2019.
