It?s not the beaches of Goa or backwaters of Kerala that entice domestic tourists. Uttar Pradesh tops the chart of domestic tourist visits, registering 155.4 million of them in 2011. In fact, the state pipped Andhra Pradesh this year to bag the top slot.
According to the ministry of tourism data, the number of domestic tourist visits (DTVs) to the states and Union territories during 2011 was 851 million, registering a strong growth of 13.8% over the previous year. This, despite the economic slowdown. There were 748 million domestic tourist visits in 2010 and 669 million in 2009.
The double-digit growth in domestic tourist numbers is a positive and a hopeful sign for tour operators and other stakeholders as euro crisis looms large on inbound travel. ?The government and state tourism boards are increasingly focusing on domestic tourism, and this has helped in improving the numbers. We are working with Punjab, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh tourist boards to help create awareness among domestic tourists regarding travel products. Such initiatives help boost tourism,? says Rajat Sawhney, general secretary, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI).
The statistics also reveal that Goa lost its slot among the top-ten foreign tourist destinations. Instead, Karnataka has made it to the top-ten list with 0.57 million foreign tourist visits. It sits in the ninth position. During 2011, the number of foreign tourist visits (FTVs) to the states and Union territories was 19.5 million as compared to 17.9 million in 2010 and 14.4 million in 2009. This year, the number of FTVs registered a growth of 8.85% over 2010 as compared to a growth of 24.6% in 2010 over 2009.