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Bharatiya Janata Party · 2019
Claim
Lacks context
Delivery
Partly delivered
A correction first: the 2019 manifesto sets no target of five crore international visitors. What it promises is integrated destination development and upgrading all UNESCO heritage sites. On arrivals, the Ministry of Tourism told Parliament on 20 July 2026 that international tourist arrivals rose from 1.31 crore in 2014 to 2.06 crore in 2024 — 56.93 per cent over a decade — while domestic tourist visits more than doubled, from 128.28 crore to 294.53 crore. The domestic growth is the real story and it is the one that gets least attention; the international figure is still barely above where it stood before the pandemic.
“Within the services sector, tourism will be special focus because it brings together many different service segments… we will identify specific places of cultural or natural importance in order to develop them as comprehensive destinations instead of leaving them as isolated sites… All UNESCO heritage sites in India will be upgraded to international level facilities.”No CAG performance audit published
No CAG performance audit covering this scheme has been published. The absence of an audit is not evidence that the claim is either accurate or inaccurate.
No CAG audit of tourism promotion covering this period has been tabled in a report we hold. Arrival figures come from the Bureau of Immigration and domestic visit figures from state governments.
No audit period to plot — no CAG performance audit covering this scheme has been published.
International tourist arrivals 2.06 crore in 2024, up from 1.31 crore in 2014; domestic tourist visits 294.53 crore, up from 128.28 crore
Domestic tourist visits are counted by state governments and record visits rather than people — one traveller visiting three states in a trip appears three times.
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 79, Assessment of India's Tourism Sector — answer by the Ministry of Tourism
This entry was imported as a promise to "attract 5 crore international visitors". No such figure is in the 2019 manifesto. Its tourism section promises a focus on the sector because "it brings together many different service segments", integrated destination development rather than "isolated sites", coordination between Swachh Bharat, the Archaeological Survey, forest departments, local government and the hospitality industry, and one measurable commitment: "All UNESCO heritage sites in India will be upgraded to international level facilities."
On the numbers the ministry does publish, the picture has two halves. The Ministry of Tourism told the Lok Sabha on 20 July 2026: "The ITAs increased from 1.31 crore in 2014 to 2.06 crore in 2024 registering a growth of 56.93%. Similarly, the DTVs have also increased from 128.28 crore in 2014 to 294.53 crore in 2024 thereby registering a growth of 129.60%."
The domestic number is the striking one. Nearly 295 crore domestic tourist visits in a year, more than double 2014, is a transformation in how Indians travel within India — driven by highways, cheap flights, hotel supply and rising incomes as much as by any tourism scheme. It is also the figure most easily misunderstood: states count visits, not visitors, so one person touring three states registers three times.
The international number is the weaker one. Two point zero six crore arrivals in 2024, against 1.09 crore in 2019 before the pandemic and 1.31 crore in 2014, means foreign arrivals took most of the decade to recover and grow modestly. India remains a small share of global international arrivals for a country of its size and heritage, and no five-crore target — the figure this entry was imported with — appears in the manifesto or in this answer.
On the promise's own commitments, this answer says nothing about UNESCO heritage site upgrades, and nothing about the integrated destination model. The PRASHAD and Swadesh Darshan schemes are the vehicles for that work; Swadesh Darshan has a CAG performance audit in this corpus, cited in the pilgrimage entry.
Our verdict is lacks context.
BJP Sankalp Patra 2019 — Lok Sabha election manifesto
“Through this Sankalp Patra, you would get a glimpse of the challenges of the yesteryears, the indomitable efforts made by 130 crore Indians to overcome those challenges and our collective vision for the future… There are two commitments that I am extremely passionate about — doubling of farmer income and housing for all, by the year 2022.”
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 79, Assessment of India's Tourism Sector — answer by the Ministry of Tourism
“The Ministry of Tourism maintains the data on International Tourists Arrivals (ITAs) and Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) as provided by the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) and State/UTs, respectively. The ITAs increased from 1.31 crore in 2014 to 2.06 crore in 2024 registering a growth of 56.93%. Similarly, the DTVs have also increased from 128.28 crore in 2014 to 294.53 crore in 2024 thereby registering a growth of 129.60%. The data indicates substantial improvement in tourist footfall during the last decade.”