Arab Nations Remain Top Destination for Indian Travelers in August 2023

In the latest data released by the Indian Ministry of Tourism, it's evident that the Arab countries, particularly the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, continue to be the preferred destinations for Indian nationals.

During August 2023, Indian national departures reached a total of 2,487,030, reflecting an increase of 15.1% from the 2,160,605 departures in August 2022, and a 5.8% growth when compared to the 2,351,701 departures in August 2019. Among these, the UAE led the list, accounting for 26.33% of the departures, followed by Saudi Arabia at 12.31%, and Qatar at 4.62%. In essence, these three countries received over 1.076 million Indian nationals, representing 43% of the total departures in August 2023.

Looking at a broader timeframe, from January to August 2023, Indian national departures stood at 179,281,80. This number is a significant leap from the 133,527,96 recorded during the same period in 2022, registering a 34.3% growth. The increase is subtler, at 0.1%, when compared to the 179,122,17 departures from January to August 2019. Once again, the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the dominant destinations, claiming 25.22% and 11.00% of the departures, respectively.

On the flip side, foreign tourist arrivals in India for August 2023 were logged at 643,194, with a cumulative total of 3,426,525 from January to August 2023. The majority of these tourists hailed from countries like Bangladesh, USA, UK, Canada, and Australia. Interestingly, none of the top Arab countries featured in the top five source markets for foreign tourist arrivals in India during this period.