Despite Miss World And Hype: No uptick in footfall of foreign tourists in TG

Hyderabad: Although the authorities have claimed that there would be an increase in the footfall of foreign tourists in the state with the organisation of high-profile events like Miss World, the footfall of international tourists into the state is not so encouraging and has been relatively subdued during the last six months in the state.

The Telangana Tourism Policy 2025-2030 is aimed at positioning Telangana as a top state for international tourists and attract over 5 lakh international tourists by 2030. The state plans to achieve this through investment pitches in India and abroad, as well as by promoting spiritual, heritage, MICE, wildlife, adventure, and medical tourism. However, Telangana did not feature in the top 10 states for foreign tourist arrivals in the years leading up to 2025.

According to data provided by the state Tourism Department, as many as 88,469 foreign tourists visited the state between June 2025 and November-end.

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While most of these tourists concentrated in Hyderabad and its nearby areas like Rangareddy and Medchal; the other preferred destinations (after the city) were Mulugu, followed by Warangal Rural, and Bhadradri Kothagudem. Over 88,000 foreign tourists visited attractions in and around Hyderabad.

In all, 72,519 foreign tourists visited the state between January and May and this includes those present during the Miss World pageant held in May.

When year-wise data is taken, as per figures provided by the Department of Tourism, 1,55,313 foreign tourists visited Telangana between January and December 2024 and majority of them visited the state capital. This year between January and November 30, 1,60,988 foreign tourists visited the state and majority of them, 1,59,203, visited Hyderabad and its nearby areas and very few visited other places in the state.

According to officials, the number of tourists coming to the erstwhile Warangal district has increased over the last couple of years, thanks to the Ramappa Temple getting the World Heritage tag from the UNESCO. The officials said that, given the holiday season ahead, the number is going to only increase during the month of December.

However, travel agents opine that the overall situation is far more pathetic than what is reflected by the numbers given by the state government. According to travel agents, the number of foreign tourists has come down drastically, down by at least 70 per cent.

Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Chapter chairman K Ranga Reddy said that real data comes from the Government of India, which releases it in Parliament. He said that there is a flaw in checking the influx of foreign tourists. Giving an example, Ranga Reddy said that some big IT companies bring foreign executives to the city for training for a week or 10 days. While they are in training, they visit several tourist places in the city. This footfall cannot be included in that of genuine foreign tourists.

Travel agents want the government to take proactive measures for promotion of tourism. They said that the government spends lakhs of rupees for promotion of tourism in countries like Italy, Germany, and other places.

Ministers and top officials visit these places, but there is hardly anyone to give information when someone asks for specific inputs. This is the sorry state of affairs in tourism promotion, one agent pointed out.