UAE leads the list of countries visited by Indian nationals in 2024, followed by Saudi Arabia and the US, according to India Tourism Data Compendium 2025
The United Arab Emirates continued to be the most preferred travel destination for Indian nationals in 2024, with approximately 7.8 million Indians visiting the country, accounting for 25.2% of total departures. Saudi Arabia followed with 3.4 million travellers, while the US ranked third with 2.1 million departures. Together, the top 10 destinations—including Thailand, Singapore, the UK, Qatar, Canada, Kuwait, and Oman—made up roughly 71.1% of all Indian nationals’ departures during the year, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
The India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, released by the Ministry of Tourism, highlighted that leisure and recreational travel accounted for 42.5% of departures, diaspora-related visits 34.6%, business and professional trips 14.9%, while pilgrimage (3.9%), education (2.4%), and other purposes (1.4%) comprised the remainder. Outbound travel from India has risen sharply over the past three decades, from 1.9 million departures in 1991 to 30.8 million in 2024, reflecting a CAGR of 8.7%. The Covid-19 pandemic caused a temporary dip in 2020, but travel rebounded strongly, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
Indian nationals are travelling abroad primarily for leisure, diaspora visits, and business, with the working-age population dominating outbound travel
The data also shows that Indian travellers are mostly from the 25–34 age group (27.4%), followed by 35–44-year-olds (24.5%). Male travellers represented 65.8% of total departures, while females accounted for 34.1%. Destination-wise, the UAE has maintained its top position across 2019, 2023, and 2024, with a steady increase from 6.3 million visitors in 2019 to 7.8 million in 2024. Saudi Arabia, the US, and Thailand ranked next, with Thailand showing a notable revival in 2024 with 1.9 million departures. Factors such as higher disposable incomes, improved air connectivity, and greater exposure to global destinations have contributed to this upward trend in Indian outbound travel.
