India’s Ministry of Home Affairs reported Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during the Month of August 2012 were 4.56 lakh (456,000) as compared to FTAs of 4.45 lakh (445,000) during the month of August 2011. At just 2.5% growth, August was the second worst month for tourism arrivals just ahead of July 2012 which reported an anemic 2% increase over the same month in 2011. FTA’s for August 2012 compared to 2010′s FTA’s of 4.22 lakh (422,000) reflect a healthier continued growth rate of 5.3%.

Full year January-August 2012 FTAs were 42.18 lakh (4,218,000) compared to FTA’s during the same period in 2011 of 39.73 lakh (3,973,000) for annual comparison increase of 6.2%. This continues to mark an upward tourism trend for India after an already impressive 10.0% growth marked during the same corresponding January-August period of 2010.