Increase in the number of foreign tourists.
HighLights
The number of foreign tourists is decreasing in Ujjain. Kanha, Bandhavgarh, and Pench are the most favourites. The number of domestic tourists is decreasing in Pachmarhi.
State Bureau, Bhopal. There has been an increase in the number of foreign tourists coming to Madhya Pradesh. The thing is that tourists are liking wildlife places. This year, Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench national parks of the state have emerged as favorite destinations of foreign tourists. Compared to last year, all three parks have seen a huge increase in the number of foreign tourists. On the other hand, foreign tourists are not inclined towards religious places like Maihar and Ujjain.
Three Tiger Reserves are the most favorite
According to the data received from the Tourism Department, a total of 47 thousand 136 foreign tourists had come to the three parks in the year 2023, whereas in the first five months of this year (January-May 2024) alone, 40 thousand 634 foreign tourists had come. In the period January-May 2023, this number was 34 thousand 300. Of the 91,000 foreigners who visited the state till May this year, about 45 per cent have visited these national parks.
Bandhavgarh choice of foreign tourists
Bandhavgarh, home to 135 of the 745 tigers counted in the state in the 2023 census, is the top destination for foreign tourists. About 22 thousand foreigners visited the national park in 2023, whereas in the first five months this number was 16 thousand 600. In the first five months this year, their number has touched approximately 20 thousand.
Kanha National Park also attracts
After this is Kanha, which has 105 tigers. Last year, about 16 thousand foreigners visited Kanha (11 thousand 915 by January-May 2023), whereas by May this year this number has crossed 13 thousand.
A total of eight thousand 224 tourists visited Pench National Park in 2023. In this, five thousand 524 came till January-May. Whereas in 2024, seven thousand 165 tourists had arrived from January to May. However, the number of domestic tourists visiting these parks has not increased.
Last year, about 1 lakh 60 lakh domestic tourists came to Bandhavgarh, whereas till May this year their number was 76 thousand 864. In Kanha, these figures were 2.15 lakh and 1.16 lakh domestic tourists respectively. 1.55 lakh and 60 thousand domestic tourists arrived in Pench.
Decrease in tourists in religious places
Till May this year, 2.79 crore domestic tourists have visited Ujjain. Till May last year, their number was 4.70 crore. Ujjain was visited by 5.28 crore domestic tourists in the whole of 2023. Talking about Maihar, the second most popular religious tourist destination of the state, 56.8 lakh tourists have come till May this year, whereas last year this number was 76.94 crore in the same period and 1.68 crore in the entire year.
Hill Station Pachmarhi
Pachmarhi, the only hill station in the state, received 95 thousand domestic tourists till May this year, whereas last year this number was 4.01 lakh. Foreign tourists have taken very little interest in these three sites. Till May this year, not a single foreigner has gone to Ujjain and Maihar. Last year only 66 visited Ujjain and none visited Maihar.