India witnessed 18.89 million international tourist arrivals in 2023, while foreign exchange earnings through tourism last year increased to Rs 231,927 crore, said the government on Wednesday.
According to data released by the Ministry of Tourism, Foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2023 were 9.52 million and domestic tourist visits (DTVs) were 2,509 million.
The ministry approved a total of 76 projects for an amount of Rs 5,287.90 Crore under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, out of which 75 projects are physically complete.
Under this, 40 projects worth Rs 3,295.76 crore were approved under special assistance to states for capital investment (SASCI) for development of iconic tourist centres to global scale across 23 states, and 34 projects were sanctioned for Rs 793.20 crore under the 'Swadesh Darshan 2.0' initiative.
Swadesh Darshan Scheme has been transformed into Swadesh Darshan 2.0, (SD2.0), that will focus on the development of sustainable and responsible destinations under the principle of tourist and destination-centricity.
Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned 48 projects amounting to Rs 1.646.99 Crore under PRASHAD Scheme out of which 23 projects have been completed.
The ministry informed that a total of 65 projects amounting to Rs 937.56 crore have been sanctioned under the Assistance to Central Agencies Scheme out of which 38 projects have been physically completed.
Guidelines for 'Challenge Based Destination Development' as sub scheme of Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme have been formulated by the government to enhance tourist experience across all points of the tourist value chain.
The ministry said it has shortlisted 42 destinations under different tourism themes for development under the scheme.
The 'Chalo India' campaign was launched to invite Indian diaspora to showcase India to their non-Indian friends worldwide; One lakh free e-visas for foreign tourists visiting India were issued under the campaign.
The ministry also launched the 'Incredible India Content Hub' to offer a single window of content on Incredible India for the global travel and tourism industry.
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