Kolkata:West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's emphasis to place the state on the map of states attracting a substantial number of tourists paid rich dividends with the eastern state ranking third in terms of the number of foreign tourist footfall.
According to Union Ministry data, West Bengal emerged as one of the most attractive places for foreign tourists. In 2022, West Bengal secured the third rank in the country in terms of the number of foreign tourist arrivals. The state is placed just below Gujarat and Maharashtra in this regard now. According to the statistics of footfalls of foreign tourists, Bengal was ranked fifth in 2019. But 2022 brought windfall with a better performance.
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In terms of the number of domestic tourists, West Bengal ranks eighth. Uttar Pradesh holds the top position in terms of domestic tourist footfall. According to the ranking, the other six states are Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan respectively. Gujarat, which brought an effective tourism policy, currently occupies the number one spot in terms of foreign tourist footfall.
Last year, the state recorded a footfall of 1.78 million foreign tourists. I was followed by Maharashtra which accounted for 1.51 million foreign tourist footfalls. As many as 1.04 million foreign tourists visited West Bengal. State tourism minister Babul Supriya credited Mamata for the success rate. "We have succeded in our plan and will try to cash in on the good work," he said.
