Travel - Tour India to know it better- I

The tourism industry of India is economically important and is growing rapidly. The World Travel & Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated INR6.4 trillion or 6.6% of the nation's GDP in 2012. It supported 39.5 million jobs, 7.7% of its total employment. The sector is predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 7.9% from 2013 to 2023.^[1] This gives India the third rank among countries with the fastest growing tourism industries over the next decade.^[2] India has a largemedical tourism sector which is expected to grow at an estimated rate of 30% annually to reach about ₹ 95 billion by 2015.

Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh is visited by more than three million tourists every year.

A view of Udaipur's City Palace with Lake Pichola

Rani ki vav, a Stepwell in Gujarat, had recently desginated as UNESCO world heritage

A UNESCO world heritage city ruins of Vijayanagara Empire at Hampi, with its bouldered landscape

According to provisional statistics 7.42 million foreign tourists arrived in India in 2014, an increase of 7.4% from 6.96 million in 2013. This ranks India as the 38th country in the world in terms of foreign tourist arrivals. Domestic tourist visits to all states and Union Territoriesnumbered 1,036.35 million in 2012, an increase of 16.5% from 2011.^[3] The most represented countries are the United States (16%) and the United Kingdom (12.6%). In 2011, Maharashtra,Tamil Nadu and Delhi were the most popular states for foreign tourists. Domestic tourists visited the states Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu most frequently.^[4] Chennai, Delhi,Mumbai and Agra have been the four most visited cities of India by foreign tourists during the year 2011. Worldwide, Chennai is ranked 38 by the number of foreign tourists, while Mumbai is ranked at 50, Delhi at 52 and Agra at 66 and Kolkata at 99.^[5]

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 ranks India 65th out of 144 countries overall. The report ranks the price competitiveness of India's tourism sector 20th out of 144 countries. It mentions that India has quite good air transport (ranked 39th), particularly given the country’s stage of development, and reasonable ground transport infrastructure (ranked 42nd). Some other aspects of its tourism infrastructure remain somewhat underdeveloped however. The nation has very few hotel rooms per capita by international comparison and low ATMpenetration.^[6] The World Tourism Organization reported that India's receipts from tourism during 2012 ranked 16th in the world, and 7th among Asian and Pacific countries.^[7]

The Ministry of Tourism designs national policies for the development and promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector including various Central Ministries/agencies, state governments, Union Territories and the representatives of the private sector. Concerted efforts are being made to promote new forms of tourism such as rural, cruise, medical and eco-tourism.^[8] The Ministry also maintains the Incredible India campaign.

India's rich history and its cultural and geographical diversity make its international tourism appeal large and diverse. It presents heritage and cultural tourism along with medical, business, educational and sports tourism.

Major tourist attractions across India

A Vamana temple at Khajuraho with its sculptural marvels

A monolithic hand carved multi storey building at Ellora, Maharashtra, India

Houseboat in Kerala backwaters

Akal Takht and Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Kandolim beach at Goa

Munshi Ghat in Varanasi

Camel riding at Nubra Valley,Ladakh

Thanjavur Brihadeeswara Temple with view of all the Gopuras

Rani ki vav with its multistory sculptured galleries

Kumbhalgarh Fort and its walls

The Mehrangarh fort

Konark Sun Temple, Konark, Orissa

Train to Shimla

Rann Utsav at Rann of Kutch at Gujarat

Famous Hall of Thousand Pillars at Meenakshi Amman Temple

Chaturbhuj Temple and other ruins in the backdrop

Rutland Island in Andaman and Nicobar

Chittorgarh fort of Rajasthan

• Taj Mahal, is considered as one of theWonders of the World and most beautiful building by many. It is built by mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz.
• Khajuraho Temples are group of 20 temples which are known and admired for their intricate carvings and sculptures. It is also famous for its erotic sculptures. One of the major temple Kandariya Mahadeva Templealone have more than 870 statues, which is the similar number of carvings in whole site of equally intricate and beautiful Rani ki vav Stepwell.
• Ajanta and Ellora Caves are manmade monasteries carved out from rocks.Ajanta have series of 30 caves, whileEllora have 34. These caves were built between the 2nd century BCE and the 9th century CE. Ellora Caves have unique feature of having caves dedicated to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism all at one place. The major tourist attraction in Ajanta and Elloracaves is Kailasa Temple at Ellora.Kailasa temple, Ellora is a monolithic multistorey building completely carved out of single rock. It is also noted for its vertical excavation i.e. carving started from top of the rock and excavated downward to construct this building.
• Hampi is a ruins of medieval city ofVijaynagara of Vijayanagara Empire. It is one of the biggest city ruins in India spread across 36 square kilometers. A group of monuments at city ruins ofHampi can be divided into Religious, Military and Civil category. The city ruins have seven layers of fortification and innermost fortification enclose the city and is best preserved. Hampi city ruins have several monuments which predates Vijayanagara Empire period including Virupaksha Temple which is a pilgrimage for Hindus. It also attracts tourists for Bouldering adventure because of its vast landscapes with huge boulders.