The Most Popular States for Indian Tourists

Whether it's population or GDP growth, India has quickly become one of the fastest-growing countries worldwide. For example, the International Monetary Fund suggests a real GDP growth rate of 6.8 percent in 2024, putting the country in eighth rank worldwide and 5.6 percent above the average for all developed economies.

Tourism plays an important part in the country's economic growth, contributing $190 billion or around six percent to India's total GDP of $3.4 trillion in 2022. The Asian country has slowly been recovering from the coronavirus-induced tourism slump but still recorded 43 percent fewer international tourist arrivals in 2022, according to the country's Ministry of Tourism. However, domestic tourism has fared better in edging closer to 2019 figures, with 1.7 billion domestic tourism visits recorded in 2022, up one billion from the year prior.

As our chart based on data from the tourism ministry shows, roughly half of all domestic tourist arrivals were recorded in four states: Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka offer the most nationally protected monuments per state. The former is also the Indian state with the highest population at 241 million. Another draw in Uttar Pradesh is the internationally well-recognized Taj Mahal in Agra, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are also considered important for religious tourism. Tamil Nadu, the sixth-largest Indian state in terms of population, boasts a variety of beaches along its coastline and is also home to many religious sites important for Christians, Muslims and Hindus alike. It's also the location of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which adds to the state's appeal for tourists.