India's tourism sector poised for global growth

Delhi : India's Travel and Tourism sector has emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing tourism economies, with greater international visitor spending identified as the next major opportunity for growth, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

WTTC's latest Economic Impact Research, sponsored by Chase Travel, found that the sector contributed USD 263.6 billion to India's economy in 2025 and supported 46.2 million jobs across the country. The industry grew by 7.3 percent during the year, surpassing global tourism growth of 4.1 percent.

Domestic tourism remains the backbone of India's tourism industry, accounting for 86 percent of total travel spending, with domestic visitor expenditure reaching USD 203b in 2025.

The council projected that India's travel sector will grow to USD 286.1 billion in 2026, supporting 48.1 million jobs. Over the next decade, the in-dustry is ex-pected to nearly double in size, reaching USD 527 billion by 2036, potentially making India the world's fourth-largest tourism economy.