The annual rate of growth in domestic tourism fell to the lowest in six years in 2017 to 2.3 per cent, according to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism. In actual numbers, the figure rose from 161 crore to 165 crore.
The top five States in terms of domestic tourist visits in 2017 were Tamil Nadu (34.50 crore), Uttar Pradesh (23.39 crore), Karnataka (17.99 crore), Andhra Pradesh (16.54 crore) and Maharashtra (11.91 crore).
Among the States considered tourism hotspots, Rajasthan saw the arrival of 4.59 crore tourists, followed by Uttarakhand (3.43 crore), Delhi (2.91 crore), Himachal Pradesh (1.91 crore), Kerala (1.46 crore) and Goa (68.95 lakh).
The Ministry data also showed that the Taj Mahal was the top landmark visited by domestic tourists in 2017-18 with 56.63 lakh visitors, accounting for 10.53 per cent of all landmark visits. It was followed by the Sun Temple in Konark, the Red Fort and the Qutub Minar in Delhi, and the Agra Fort. A total of 5.38 crore domestic tourists visited all the landmarks during the year.
Previously, a report in 2014-15 on domestic tourism by the National Sample Survey Office showed that 36.6 per cent of rural households and 35.7 per cent of urban households reported overnight trips. About 65 per cent of these were undertaken for health and medical purpose, while 34 per cent were for holiday, leisure and recreation.
