India has jumped 16 places in the revised World Tourism Organisation UNWTO rankings to settle at 24th for 2014 and 2015. Ministry of Tourism, Earlier, India was ranked 41st and 40th in 2014 and 2015 as per the global ranking.
UNWTO is the United Nation’s agency managing promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism and its barometer ranks countries in terms of their ITAs- comprising both foreign tourist arrivals as well as non- resident arrivals. So far only the figures of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) were compiled in India. However, now India has started compiling the data arrivals of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) also.
The Ministry said, due to the inclusion, India’s improved rank reflecting the true and comparable scenario has now been acknowledged by the UNWTO.
India has taken huge strides in the tourism sector in the last year with its rank in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), 2017 had also shown a 12 places jump from 2015.
Rank of India in TTCI Report of 2017 was 40 as compared to 52 in 2015, 65 in 2013 and 68 in 2011.