United Nations - The number of people travelling abroad hit record levels in 2017 with a total of 1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations around the world and India leading the growth in the South Asian region, according to data by UN’s tourism organisation.
The latest edition of its tourism highlights shows international arrivals reached 1,323 million last year. The figure represents an 84 million increase over 2016, and a new record, with the sector also recording “uninterrupted growth” in arrivals for eight consecutive years.
Europe and Africa led the regions with increases in arrivals, with growth of eight per cent and nine per cent, respectively.
The report said positive results in South Asia were largely driven by the strong performance of India, the “subregion’s largest destination, which benefited from increasing demand from western source markets and simpler visa procedures”.
In India, international tourist arrivals grew from 14.57 million in 2016 to 15.54 million in 2017. International tourism receipts for India grew from 22.42 billion dollars in 2016 to 27.36 billion dollars last year.
For South Asia, international tourist arrivals grew from 25.17 million in 2016 to 26.57 million in 2017. International tourism receipts for South Asia grew from 33.28 billion dollars in 2016 to 39.52 billion dollars last year.