Hyderabad: India has emerged as one of the top overseas source markets for US tourism, with Indian visitor numbers hitting an all-time high of 2.2 million in 2024, Fred Dixon, president & CEO of Brand USA, told TOI.
“India has shown remarkable growth, moving up to become the second-largest overseas source market after the UK (4 million) and surpassing Germany (2 million) but excluding Canada (20 million) and Mexico (17 million),” Dixon said.
“Since 2019, visitation by Indians has grown by 49%, which is the highest growth rate among all international markets,” added Dixon, who was in Hyderabad for Brand USA’s 11th India sales mission.
“A record number of visas — 1 million each — were issued to Indians in the last two years and now an additional 2,50,000 interview slots have been made available for 2025. US currently has 5 million valid visas issued to Indian citizens. And we know they have a high repeat (travel) factor,” he said.
The strong recovery post-Covid-19 is reflected in spending patterns too, with Indian travellers contributing $20 billion to the US economy in 2023, making India the fourth-largest contributor to US tourism revenues after Canada ($24 billion), Mexico ($21 billion) and China ($21 billion). In 2019, Indian tourist spends in US stood at around $14 billion.
“India has the highest intent to visit the US of any country we survey, with 86% of respondents expressing a favourable impression of the US as a destination,” Dixon said. “The next closest markets…