Gujarat welcomed over 18 crore tourists in 2023-24

Gandhinagar : Every year on September 27, ‘World Tourism Day’ is celebrated both in India and worldwide. Under the visionary leadership of then-Chief Minister and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat has become the preferred destination for both domestic and international tourists. In the year 2023-24, over 18.59 crore tourists visited Gujarat, as stated by Tourism Minister Mulubhai Bera.

Sharing detailed information on the tourists visiting Gujarat, the Tourism Minister stated that during 2023-24, Gujarat, known for its safety and peaceful environment, attracted over 18.59 crore tourists, including 17.50 crore domestic tourists and 23.43 lakh foreign tourists. Of these, over 11.38 crore tourists visited for a day, while over 7.21 crore tourists stayed overnight. This shows a significant increase of 24.07 per cent in tourist arrivals in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23 when the number of tourists was 14.98 crore. The Minister of Tourism provided further details, stating that tourists from across India primarily visit Gujarat for religious, business, heritage, and leisure purposes, seeking a break from their busy lives.

Minister Mulubhai emphasized that Gujarat continues to excel in religious tourism. Among the most visited spiritual sites, Ambaji attracted the highest number of devotees, with 1.65 crore seeking the blessings of Goddess Ma-Amba. Additionally, Somnath Temple, the first Jyotirling in the country, welcomed 97.93 lakh visitors, while Dwarka saw 83.54 lakh visitors. The Mahakali Temple at Pavagadh attracted 76.66 lakh devotees, and Dakor welcomed 34.22 lakh, bringing the total to 457.35 lakh spiritual tourists. In terms of business tourism, Ahmedabad recorded the highest footfall with over 2.26 crore visitors, followed by Surat with 62.31 lakh, Vadodara with 34.15 lakh, Rajkot with 18.59 lakh, and Bharuch with 17.72 lakh, totalling 358.77 lakh business tourists.

For relaxation, a total of 192.96 lakh tourists visited various attractions in Gujarat, seeking to enjoy life amidst their busy schedules. This includes 79.67 lakh visitors to Ahmedabad’s Kankaria Lakefront, 44.76 lakh at the Sabarmati Riverfront, 43.52 lakh at the Statue of Unity, 13.60 lakh at Science City, and 11.39 lakh at Saputara, Gujarat’s only hill station. Gujarat also holds significant importance in heritage, culture, and historical legacy. In this context, 6.93 lakh tourists explored the historical city of Vadnagar, while 4.06 lakh visited Kirti Mandir in Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. Additionally, 3.86 lakh visited Adalaj Stepwell in Gandhinagar, 3.83 lakh explored Rani ki Vav (Stepwell) in Patan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and 3.81 lakh toured the Sun Temple in Modhera. In total, 22.49 lakh tourists visited these heritage sites, which is a moment of pride for the state and its people.

The Gujarat government has developed new tourist destinations to further accelerate the tourism sector in Gujarat and provide more options to tourists visiting the state. These include Border Tourism at Nadabet and the Sea Border Viewing Project at Sir Creek in Kutch, the Dinosaur Fossil Park in Balasinor, the Wetland Development Project at Mokarsagar in Porbandar, the development of tourist facilities at Bet Dwarka, the development of Dharoi Dam as a world-class tourist destination, the Greater Gir Development Project covering areas around Gir, which is home to the Asiatic lion, an identity of Gujarat, and the development work is in progress to elevate Shivrajpur’s Blue Flag Beach to international standards.