Jaipur, Nov 6 (IANS) Rajasthan’s foreign tourist arrival figures have been clocking new records in the last four years.
Over the past four years, the desert state has recorded 1.637 million tourist visits from Europe’s top 10 source countries, including more than 388,000 visits from the United Kingdom alone. Japan and China together have accounted for over 87,000 tourist visits during the same period.
The Rajasthan Tourism Department has been pursuing a focused international outreach strategy. Its continued participation in major global travel is aimed at strengthening Rajasthan’s position on the global tourism map and showcasing the state to diverse international markets. Participation in leading international travel marts remains an important pillar of Rajasthan Tourism’s global outreach strategy.
Tourism Commissioner Rukmani Riar said that sustained international promotion and participation in leading global tourism platforms were essential to positioning Rajasthan as a premier destination in the international tourism landscape.
She said the state was broadening its tourism identity beyond its renowned forts and palaces to include wildlife, rural experiences, folk culture, handicrafts, spiritual tourism, eco-tourism and experiential travel.
Presenting Rajasthan’s diverse attractions in line with the evolving preferences of international travellers remains a key priority of the department, she added.
At international travel marts, Rajasthan showcases not only its celebrated historical heritage but also its wildlife destinations, rural life, folk arts, handicrafts, cuisine and diverse experiential tourism offerings.
The broader approach is to present Rajasthan as a destination that offers much more than its iconic forts, palaces and heritage hotels.
According to country-wise data of the Rajasthan Tourism Department, tourist arrivals from Europe’s top 10 source countries stood at 140,204 in 2022. The figure rose to 420,104 in 2023 and 534,409 in 2024, reaching 542,205 in 2025.
Over the four years, these markets together accounted for 1,636,922 tourist visits to Rajasthan. The United Kingdom and France emerged as the leading European source markets, recording 388,898 and 388,895 tourist visits respectively over the four years.
Germany contributed 239,023 visits, followed by Italy with 220,778 and Spain with 143,157. The Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Russia also featured among the leading European markets. The growth in arrivals from the United Kingdom is particularly noteworthy.
Tourist visits from the UK increased from 29,532 in 2022 to 133,978 in 2025, representing a rise of more than 4.5 times. Arrivals from France also registered substantial growth, increasing from 34,999 to 131,270 during the same period.
Senior Additional Director of Rajasthan Tourism, Anand Kumar Tripathi, said that the state’s sustained participation in international travel marts was part of its long-term global branding strategy.
These platforms provide valuable opportunities to present Rajasthan’s tourism products to international audiences and strengthen its visibility in key source markets. He said the encouraging arrival figures from major European countries reinforced the importance of continued international outreach.
The department is working to promote not only Rajasthan’s traditional tourism attractions but also its wildlife, rural tourism, folk culture, religious destinations and emerging experiential tourism products in overseas markets.
Among Asian markets, Japan has emerged as an important source market for Rajasthan. Between 2022 and 2025, the state recorded 71,886 tourist visits from Japan, compared with 15,771 from China.
Together, the two countries accounted for 87,657 visits during the four years. In 2025, Rajasthan received 25,250 tourist visits from Japan, while the corresponding figure from China stood at 5,486.
The United Kingdom remains one of Rajasthan’s key international source markets. Tourist visits from the country increased from 29,532 in 2022 to 133,978 in 2025, registering growth of more than 4.5 times.
–IANS
arc/dan
