Karnataka: Foreign tourist arrivals decline by 1 lakh since 2014
What's the story
Karnataka witnessed a sharp decline in the number of foreign tourists visiting the state since 2014 due to various reasons like lack of air connectivity and basic facilities at tourist spots.
The number was 5,61,870 in 2014, which fell to 5,24,152 in 2015 and 4,61,752 in 2016.
However, the government had taken several measures to ensure better facilities to attract tourists.
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Reasons
Foreigners expect tourism spots to have air connectivity: An official
A Karnataka Tourism official said several reasons contribute to the decline in foreign tourist numbers.
He said they expect direct air connectivity to tourist spots, good hotels with wide-range of food choice, availability of accommodation of their choice, which they cannot provide always.
The government claims it offers facilities like home-stays, better accommodation, good-quality food, etc. at tourist spots to attract foreigners and Indians.
Data
Number of domestic tourists on the rise
The number of domestic tourists visiting Karnataka, however, has gone up, except in 2015. A total of 11,82,83,220 Indians visited the state in 2014. The number fell to 10,12,34,243 in 2015 but again jumped to 12,97,62,600 last year.