India on top of tourism index in South Asia

United Nations, September 2

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, with India leading the growth in the South Asian region, according to data from the 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. Europe and Africa led the regions with growth of 8 per cent and 9 per cent. 

In India, international tourist arrivals grew from 14.57 million in 2016 to 15.54 million in 2017 and receipts from $22.42 bn in 2016 to $27.36 bn last year. — PTI