Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 11:08am on 01 Dec 2025,Monday India
West Bengal is now the second most visited state in India for foreign tourists, after Maharashtra, says the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025. The state saw 31 lakh international visitors in 2024, a rise of 14.8% from 2023. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the growth comes from new tourism plans such as festival tourism, religious tourism and MICE events. Most visitors came from the US, Russia, the UK and Italy, even though there are no direct flights to Bengal from these regions. The state is also building new circuits, including coastal, hill and heritage routes. Bangladesh arrivals dropped sharply. (PC: X)
