19% rise in footfall at Indian heritage sites from 2019 to 2024, ticket revenue drops by 2.83%: Data

New Delhi: India's centrally protected ticketed monuments experienced an over 19 per cent surge in footfall in 2023-24 compared to the pre-pandemic levels but this did not translate into higher revenue from ticket sales, which dropped by 2.83 per cent, official data shows.

An analysis of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) data, presented in the Rajya Sabha, covering 143 monuments shows a complex recovery picture for these key heritage sites, contextualised by broader national trends reported in the Ministry of Tourism's 'India Tourism Data Compendium 2024'.

The total footfall across these listed monuments increased by 19.35 per cent from approximately 4.60 crore in 2019-20 to 5.49 crore in 2023-24, the data showed.

However, despite the surge in the number of visitors, the combined revenue from ticket sales at these monuments saw a decline of 2.83 per cent during the five-year period, dropping from Rs 312.54 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 303.70 crore in 2023-24.

This suggests a shift in the visitor composition at these sites. A direct comparison of visitor data for centrally protected ticketed monuments between 2019-20 and 2023-24 reveals divergent trends.

While domestic tourist visits surged by 21.75 per cent, from 4.36 crore in 2019-20 to 5.31 crore in 2023-24, foreign tourist visits decreased by 16.03 per cent, from 27.56 lakh in 2019-20 to 23.15 lakh in 2023-24, according to the data.

The increase in the domestic visitor segment, coupled with a decline in the number of higher-paying foreign visitors compared to the pre-pandemic levels, appears to be the primary factor behind the stagnant overall monument revenue despite higher total footfall.

This trend mirrors the national picture, where Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India in 2023 (95.2 lakh) recovered to only about 87 per cent of the 2019 levels.

The resulting lower average revenue per visitor at the monuments, likely stemming from this altered visitor mix and the ASI's differential pricing structure, aligns with the broader national context where Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism overall stood at $28.08 billion in 2023, lower than the 2019 peak of $30.72 billion.

The broader tourism sector remains a significant economic contributor nationally, with its total (direct + indirect) share estimated to be 5 per cent of the GDP and supporting 7.62 crore jobs in 2022-23, according to the Tourism Satellite Account data.

Performance varied dramatically across individual monuments.

While sites like Rajarani Temple (301 per cent), Ashokan Rock Edict (251 per cent) and Konark Sun Temple (53.5 per cent) saw massive revenue growth (2023-24 vs 2019-20), others like Tirumalai Nayak's Palace (98.2 per cent), Moovarkoil (90.1 per cent) and Agra Fort (47.2 per cent) saw sharp declines.

These stark differences likely stem from various site-specific factors which could range from restoration activities impacting access, changes in regional tourism promotion and infrastructure, or shifts in popular visitor circuits. Specific reasons for each monument's performance are not detailed in the analysed data.

The performance of iconic monuments underscores the trend.

The Taj Mahal saw the footfall jump by 31.27 per cent but the revenue rose only 1.48 per cent. Qutub Minar's footfall surged by 45.1 per cent and revenue by 18 per cent. Conversely, Humayun's Tomb saw footfall increased by 16.6 per cent while revenue dropped by 29.8 per cent.

According to the 'India Tourism Data Compendium 2024', the Taj Mahal was the most popular among visitors in 2023-24 with 61 lakh domestic and 6.8 lakh foreign tourists.

Konark Sun Temple (32 lakh) and Qutub Minar (31.2 lakh) were the next most popular among domestic tourists. For foreign visitors, it was Qutub Minar (2.2 lakh) and Agra Fort (2.18 lakh).

Visitor numbers, however, did not directly correlate with revenue generation.

The highest revenue earners among these monuments in 2023-24 were Taj Mahal (Rs 98.55 crore), Qutub Minar (Rs 23.80 crore), Red Fort (Rs 18.09 crore), Agra Fort (Rs 15.27 crore) and Konark Sun Temple (Rs 12.66 crore), according to ASI data.

The data specific to India's protected monuments paints a picture of resilient visitor appeal, particularly drawing huge numbers of domestic travellers post-pandemic.

However, the financial recovery at these sites, measured by ticket revenue, still lags behind pre-pandemic benchmarks, reflecting the significant impact of the reduced number of foreign visitors compared to 2019 and the overall altered tourism landscape.