‘China allows 70 countries visa-free but India…’: IndiGo CEO on missed tourism potential

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has thrown a sharp spotlight on India’s underwhelming tourist inflow, comparing it to China and Thailand. Speaking at a national tourism conclave, Elbers said 70 countries can enter China without a visa, 90 can enter Thailand — but only three countries enjoy the same privilege with India.

“People from Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives can travel to India without a visa. These are statistics in themselves,” he said at the conclave organised by Federation Of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH). Despite India’s vast offerings — 44 UNESCO heritage sites, mountains, seas, backwaters, and rich cultural festivals — it continues to attract far fewer foreign tourists.

India saw 9.95 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2024, still below its 2019 peak and dwarfed by Thailand’s 35.5 million last year. Elbers blamed bureaucratic bottlenecks and a lack of travel infrastructure for the poor showing. “It’s not the money — the fee is $10. But the process is clunky. Upload pictures, make a payment, and often the payment doesn’t work,” he said. “Even after getting a visa, hotels demand ten passport copies.”

The travel experience inside the country isn’t much better. “I live here, I know how to get around. But I see lost tourists on street corners. Ease of travel is still an issue,” he added.

Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant echoed the concerns at the BT India @100 summit, warning that India risks wasting the opportunity created by its expanding airline network. “Tourism could be India’s biggest source of export earnings, free from tariffs. Yet we account for just 1.5% of global tourist arrivals,” he said, slamming the lack of a sustained branding effort. 

“There’s been no real global campaign in the past decade.”

Elbers agreed. “Incredible India was a phenomenal campaign. But it only works if the basics — visas and ease of travel — are fixed first.”