Inbound tourism between the two neighbouring countries has declined sharply as the number of Bangladeshi tourists visiting India in August 2024, as per (provisional) data, stands at 1.29 million, as opposed to 2.12 million in 2023. Such a declining trend has been associated with stagnation due to political unrest in Bangladesh, specifically after the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Records from the Bureau of Immigration show that the number of tourists coming into the country has had some ups and downs in the past. Tourist arrivals from Bangladesh to India in 2019 were 2,58,170 through the FTA route. The number declined to approximately 550,000 in 2020, influenced by the COVID-19 impact. However, tourism issues started rising in the following years, and the number of tourists was 1.27 million in 2022. The numbers in 2023 were 2,120,000; however, by the end of August 2024, it reduced to 1,290,000.
If we take a closer look at the touristic arrivals of 2024 notice that the worst drop was in the July-August period. This is the same time that political upheavals in Bangladesh directly influence the Travel and Tourism sector. July fell to 157,086 Bangladeshi tourists in India, down by 20.26% to 196,991 in 2023, though border haat CFX and exports picked up during the month. August followed the trend by reducing even more to 38.08% from 160,164 in 2023 down to 99,173 in 2024.
It is argued that political instabilities cannot be solely attributed to the tourists’ decline, which has equally to do with the visa barriers during this period. That has put certain restrictions which in a way impacted the flow of tourists which are potential visitors. However, India still attracts a large number of Bangladeshi travellers, though political and practical conditions still have an important impact on this flow.
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