India’s tourism sector saw a powerful revival in 2024-25, recording 2.95 billion domestic tourist visits, according to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025. After the COVID-19 slowdown, tourism rebounded strongly with consistent double-digit growth from 2021 to 2024. The latest data highlights that Uttar Pradesh remains India’s most-visited state, welcoming 646.81 million domestic travellers, contributing 21.94% of the national share. Heritage icons like the Taj Mahal, Varanasi ghats, and Mathura’s spiritual circuits continue to drive footfall.

South India, however, emerged as the collective tourism powerhouse, with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh securing the next three ranks. Together, they accounted for over 30% of the country’s domestic tourism. Rajasthan rounded off the top five, reflecting its rising popularity with a remarkable 28.5% growth.

Smaller regions also showed exceptional jumps: Chandigarh recorded a stunning 173% growth, followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Mizoram. Overall, the top five states made up 60.38% of India’s total tourist visits, clearly reshaping India’s tourism map.