Indian domestic tourism on the rise

India is experiencing a surge in domestic tourism, new data reveals.

Statistics published by the country’s Ministry of Tourism this week show that 1.28 billion domestic trips to other Indian states or Union Territories (UTs) were taken during 2014, 11.9% more than in the previous year.

The southern state of Tamil Nadu was the most popular destination, registering 327.6 million domestic visits in 2014, followed by Uttar Pradesh (182.8m), Karnataka (118.3m), Maharashtra (94.1m), Andhra Pradesh (93.3m), Telengana (72.4m), Madhya Pradesh (63.6m), West Bengal (49.0m) Jharkhand (33.4m) and Rajasthan (33.1m).

Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh were also the most visited states in 2013, but Andhra Pradesh dropped down from third place to fifth, following its split with Telengana. Jharkhand, in eastern India, saw the biggest improvement, jumping from 14th place to ninth.

These top 10 states accounted for 83.3% of total domestic visitor numbers in India last year. Interestingly, there is no place for popular international destinations, such as Goa and Kerala.

sourced:traveldailymedia.com