As per the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 by the World Economic Forum, India is ranked 11th in the Asia Pacific region and 62nd overall, moving up three places on the list of the world's attractive destinations. It is ranked the 14th best tourist destination for its natural resources and 24th for its cultural resources, with many World Heritage sites, both natural and cultural, rich fauna, and strong creative industries in the country. India also bagged 37th rank for its air transport network. The India travel and tourism industry ranked 5th in the long-term (10-year) growth and is expected to be the second largest employer in the world by 2019.

India has been ranked the "best country brand for value-for-money" in the Country Brand Index (CBI) survey conducted by FutureBrand, a leading global brand consultancy. India also claimed the second place in CBI's "best country brand for history", as well as appears among the top 5 in the best country brand for authenticity and art & culture, and the fourth best new country for business. India made it to the list of "rising stars" or the countries that are likely to become major tourist destinations in the next five years, led by the United Arab Emirates, China, and Vietnam.

Contribution to the economy

According to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 brought out by the World Economic Forum, the contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to be at US$ 187.3 billion by 2019.

The report also states that real GDP growth for travel and tourism economy is expected to achieve an average of 7.7 per cent per annum over the next 10 years. Export earnings from international visitors and tourism goods are expected to generate US$ 51.4 billion (nominal terms) by 2019. The travel and tourism sector which accounted for 6.4 per cent of total employment in 2009 is expected to generate 40,037,000 jobs i.e. 7.2 per cent of total employment by 2019.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals

Estimates of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) and foreign exchange earnings (FEE) are important indicators of the tourism sector.

According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Tourism, FTAs during January 2010 were 491,000 as compared to 422,000 in January 2009, an increase of 16.4 per cent. FEE in US$ terms during January 2010 were US$ 1.21 billion as compared to US$ 941 million in January 2009, a growth of 29.1 per cent.

Moreover, to give a further boost to the tourist arrivals, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has drawn up plans to hold roadshows in the US, UK, European Union nations and Australia in 2010 to hard sell India as a tourist hub.

Government Initiative

The campaign ‘Visit India Year 2009’ was launched at the International Tourism Exchange in Berlin, aimed to project India as an attractive destination for holidaymakers. The government joined hands with leading airlines, hoteliers, holiday resorts and tour operators, and offered them a wide range of incentives and bonuses during the period between April and December, 2009.

Euromonitor International's Travel And Tourism in India report states that the Government of India increased spend on advertising campaigns (including for the campaigns ‘Incredible India’ and ‘Ahithi Devo Bhava’ - Visitors are like God) to reinforce the rich variety of tourism in India. The ministry promoted India as a safe tourist destination and undertook various measures, such as stepping up vigilance in key cities and at historically important tourist sites. It also deployed increased manpower and resources for improving security checks at key airports and railway stations.