Tourist arrivals up by 50%,sector eyes bumper growth

JAIPUR: After tourist arrivals grew by 100% in 2022 over the non-Covid year 2019, 2023 is turning out to be another bumper year for the sector in the state. In the first 10 months last year, 8.83 crore tourists visited the state. This has increased to 13.40 crore for the same period in 2023, recording an over 50% rise.

With two months of the peak tourist season remaining, industry estimates a growth of around 60% for the current calendar year, compared to 2022.

Foreign tourists' footfall still below expectations
Ranvijay Singh, joint secretary of Hotels and Restaurants Association of Rajasthan, said, "Even though foreign tourist arrivals have not yet reached the pre-Covid levels, there is no doubt about a surge in domestic travellers. To sustain this turbo-charged growth, we need to manage our infrastructure and monuments better and attract repeat tourists."

While foreign tourist footfall has increased after the Covid pandemic, it has remained below expectations. In 2019, over 16 lakh foreign tourists visited Rajasthan, this year the number stands at 11.48 lakh till October.

Prathviraj Sharma, a leading hotelier in Jaipur, said, "With the Covid pandemic receding, we expected the international tourist movement to restart. But the scarcity of flights and the high cost of air travel put paid to our expectations. Soon after the pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war broke out. Now, we have another ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. These adverse conditions have impeded foreign tourist arrivals."

As per industry representatives, hotel occupancy has gone up to 85%. Besides tourists, weddings too have pushed up occupancy. But hotel room tariffs have only risen by 10%, which is considered average.

Rupesh Kedia, another hotelier, said, "The 10% rate hike is nominal given the rising input costs. Rajasthan is a very affordable destination, and it offers diverse experiences. Looking at advance bookings and trends, we expect this buoyancy in tourist arrivals to remain till February."

The industry in general wants the law and order situation to be better to improve Rajasthan's image. Secondly, the state needs to undertake effective marketing overseas to improve inbound tourism.