Foreign tourist arrivals in India up 9 per cent in August

Foreign tourist arrivals in India recorded an increase of 9 per cent year-on-year in August 2010 at 3.82 lakh against 3.50 lakh during August 2009.

Foreign tourist arrivals in India as reported by airline passengers embarking on airports in the country had registered a negative growth of (-) 8.6 per cent at 3.83 lakh in August 2008. 

At 9.0 per cent, the growth rate of foreign tourist arrival in August 2010 is more than double the 4.1 per cent growth observed during July 2010, an official release said today.

Foreign tourist arrivals during January-August 2010 were up 9.7 per cent at 3.47 million against 3.16 million tourists arrived in India in the same period of the previous year.

However, the growth of tourist arrivals in January-August 2009 were down 7.7 per cent compared with the numbers in the corresponding period of 2008.

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism, in rupee terms, during August 2010 were up 12.3 per cent at Rs4,620 crore against Rs4,115 crore in August 2009, which again was up 13.5 per cent from the Rs3,626 crore in August 2008.