As of August 2024, the variety of Bangladesh vacationers coming to India has gone right down to 1.29 million (provisional) from the earlier 2.12 million vacationers in 2023 as a result of political upheaval within the nation.
In keeping with the Bureau of Immigration’s knowledge, in 2019, India recorded 2.58 million overseas vacationer arrivals (FTAs) from Bangladesh. The quantity dipped to round 550,000 in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 pandemic and progressively elevated within the subsequent years, reaching 1.27 million in 2022. In 2023, 2.12 million Bangladeshi vacationers visited India, and as of August 2024, the quantity stood at 1.29 million (provisional), the Ministry of Tourism stated in response to a Lok Sabha question.
An additional breakdown of the info for 2024 exhibits a notable lower in July and August which marked the time of political upheaval in Bangladesh as the previous Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted.
As an illustration, July noticed a drop of 20.26%, with 157,086 guests from Bangladesh in comparison with 196,991 the earlier 12 months. In August, the decline was even steeper, with a 38.08% drop, from 160,164 in 2023 to 99,173 in 2024.
Additionally Learn:Tripura inns ban Bangladeshi vacationers over assaults on Hindus: No lodging or meals allowed
Consultants attribute the discount within the variety of vacationers to visa restrictions.
Debjit Dutta, Chairman of IOTA West Bengal chapter and Managing Director of Impression Tourism Companies defined that Bangladesh has historically been the most important supply marketplace for inbound tourism to India, contributing considerably to sectors like enterprise, medical tourism, and leisure journey.
“Bangladesh has at all times been primary by way of the variety of vacationers, with round 23 million vacationers coming annually,” he stated.
He identified that the present scenario has been worsened by visa restrictions, with vacationer visas being largely unavailable.
“Solely enterprise and medical visas are being issued, and even these usually are not simply granted,” Dutta stated.
This has impacted areas like West Bengal, the place many companies, together with inns, eating places, and repair suppliers, rely closely on Bangladeshi vacationers.
“The mid and finances segments, particularly in areas like central Kolkata, have been affected,” he added.
In response to the decline in vacationer numbers, the ministry didn’t present a solution however confirmed that the general complete for 2024 (as much as August) is 1.29 million, a 9.14% discount in comparison with the identical interval in 2023.
Hasina stepped down in August following weeks of protests spearheaded by pupil teams and a caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed workplace.
