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India’s centrally protected ticketed monuments recorded a strong recovery in footfall in the financial year 2023-24, rising by 19.35 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019-20. According to official data presented in the Rajya Sabha and published in the Ministry of Tourism’s India Tourism Data Compendium 2024, total visitors increased from approximately 4.60 crore to 5.49 crore—an addition of over 89 lakh.

However, this growth in footfall did not result in increased ticket revenue. Earnings from ticket sales across 143 monuments dropped by 2.83 percent, falling from Rs 312.54 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 303.70 crore in 2023-24.

This contrast highlights a shift in visitor demographics. Domestic tourist visits rose by 21.75 percent—from 4.36 crore to 5.31 crore—while foreign tourist visits declined by 16.03 percent, dropping from 27.56 lakh to 23.15 lakh. Given that foreign tourists pay higher ticket prices, this decline significantly impacted overall revenue despite higher overall footfall.

The trend reflects a nationwide pattern. Foreign Tourist Arrivals in 2023 reached only 87 percent of 2019 levels, and Foreign Exchange Earnings from tourism stood at USD 28.08 billion—still below the 2019 figure of USD 30.72 billion.

Performance varied across individual monuments. Rajarani Temple (up 301 percent), Asokan Rock Edict (up 251 percent), and Sun Temple, Konark (up 53.5 percent) reported significant revenue gains. In contrast, places like Tirumalai Nayak’s Palace (down 98.2 percent), Moovarkoil (down 90.1 percent), and Agra Fort (down 47.2 percent) saw steep declines, likely due to site-specific factors such as access issues, regional promotion, or infrastructure changes.

Among iconic sites, the Taj Mahal saw a 31.27 percent jump in visitors but just a 1.48 percent increase in revenue. Qutub Minar experienced a 45.1 percent rise in footfall and an 18 percent gain in earnings. Humayun’s Tomb, however, saw a 16.6 percent increase in visitors but a 29.8 percent revenue drop.

In 2023-24, the Taj Mahal remained India’s most visited monument with 61 lakh domestic and 6.8 lakh foreign tourists. It also topped the revenue charts with earnings of Rs 98.55 crore, followed by Qutub Minar (Rs 23.80 crore), Red Fort (Rs 18.09 crore), Agra Fort (Rs 15.27 crore), and Sun Temple, Konark (Rs 12.66 crore).

While India’s heritage monuments continue to attract large numbers of domestic tourists post-pandemic, the overall revenue shortfall underscores the impact of lower foreign tourist footfall and changing visitor dynamics.

(With inputs from PTI)

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