The alarm bells over the declining number of foreign tourists has turned into full-blown panic. The usual suspects like poor infrastructure, safety or marketing no longer explain why things are so bad—and getting worse. That’s because no one wants to talk about the boa constrictor in the room: Life-choking smog.
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Umm, how bad is the drop in foreign tourists?
The latest numbers we have are for the first quarter of this year—which showed a significant drop in the number of international visitors compared to the same period last year. Down from 3.6 to 2.6 million. The greater cause for concern is that it is a long-term trend—compared to the same pre-pandemic period in 2019, the decline is 17%.
But, but, but: The crisis has been mostly disguised by two factors. One, the rise in NRI arrivals—which have soared from 6.98 million in 2019 to 9.38 in 2023 (2024 data has not been released): “The growth in inbound tourism has been largely driven by the Indian diaspora—NRI arrivals jumped over 34% compared to 2019 and made up 26% of total arrivals in 2023.”
Two, the large number of Bangladeshis who came to India for medical reasons. But our deteriorating relationship with Dhaka has put a dent on that traffic since mid-2024. In June, Bangladesh was #1 source for foreign tourists—accounting for 28.49%. July saw a drop of 20.26% compared to the same month in the previous year. In August, the decline was even steeper—38.08%. (Never mind the fact that industry leaders think the government numbers have always been grossly inflated.)
In other words, the 2025 numbers will likely be gruesome.
And this is mostly down to air pollution? Really?
Most news reporting in India attributes the drop to everything but smog: we’re too expensive; we have poor infrastructure; we are unsafe for women; we have crap marketing etc. But a World Bank study shows that just air pollution is “choking India’s tourism industry to the tune of $2.6 billion each year.”
Winter blues: The period between October and March is peak foreign tourist season in India. The rest of the year is too rainy or too hot. But winter has also become the peak season for smog—especially across the north. Also this: Thirty-nine out of the world’s 50 most polluted cities are in India. Many of these cities are also home to the most popular tourist attractions.
The pollution advisory: Across the world, India travel advisories specifically flag smog:
“Air pollution can reach dangerous levels, especially in winter,” warns the Australian Government Smarttraveller website. “It can disrupt transport and cause breathing problems. Discuss your travel plans with a doctor if you have an existing health condition. Elderly persons, pregnant mothers and those with newborns should take extra care.”
It makes both tourists and tour operators more leery of India as a destination.
Also this: While Indian media outlets rarely acknowledge it, the chatter about pollution in India is becoming toxic:
International media regularly paints a grim picture with reports of the “world’s worst air” and “apocalyptic dumpsites.” Bloggers offer “survival guides” for navigating the toxic fumes of Indian cities and online travel forums often teem with anxieties and complaints. For example, a Reddit user recently asked for some “positive stories” about India amid all the negative ones. “I’ve never heard a good thing about it, but I’m interested in it,” they wrote. “I can deal with garbage, but I have a hard time with polluted air.”
Point to note: One reason why we don’t connect smog to tourism is that even uber-rich Indians have lower standards for air quality. Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath was taken aback when his podcast guest Bryan Johnson left the recording session—because of it:
The problem was that the room we were in circulated outside air which made the air purifier I'd brought with me ineffective. Inside, the AQI was 130 and PM2.5 was 75 µg/m³, which is equal to smoking 3.4 cigarettes for 24 hours of exposure… Air pollution has been so normalised in India that no one even notices anymore despite the science of its negative effects being well known.
The Delhi problem: The greatest percentage of foreign tourists first arrive in Delhi—whose airport handles about 25% of all foreign arrivals. Most of them arrive in winter when AQI levels are often above 500. For comparison, the AQI in New York around the same time is 13. First impressions matter: “As India’s capital and a gateway to many destinations, Delhi plays a crucial role in shaping tourists’ perceptions of the country.” In fact, Delhi is the proverbial canary in the coal mine—its toxic air has been repelling visitors since 2019:
In 2021, the climate tech company Blue Sky Analytics released a study, conducted between October 2019 and 2020, documenting the drop in footfalls in commercial and tourist hubs in Delhi in those months. “The high levels of air pollution in the capital city has become a deterrent for tourists and visitors,” it noted, adding that there was a 40 per cent drop in online booking enquiries when PM2.5 levels spiked to over two times the annual average.
Invisible India: Quite apart from breathing and other health issues, smog defeats the very purpose of tourism—to take in the sights. India boasts some 43 UNESCO World Heritage sites—but many of them are now shrouded in a toxic haze. For example, this what the Taj Mahal looked like in October 2024:
Imagine travelling across the world to see that? A disappointing experience does lasting damage. According to industry operators, “those who do visit when the haze is high show ‘a hesitancy to return’.”
But there are other countries that are polluted…
Yes, Indian tourism isn’t alone in suffering the impact of rising air pollution.
Example, Thailand: This May, foreign arrivals to the country dropped for the fourth straight month in May—slipping 14% to 2.6 million. It marked the country’s longest streak of declines since the Covid years.. The biggest reason—a precipitous drop in Chinese visitors—who account for the bulk of Thai tourists. There have been nearly one million fewer arrivals so far in 2025 versus 2024. Public safety is certainly a problem—but so is smog:
For Bangkok, the smog season coincides with the annual peak of tourism, particularly the Chinese New Year holiday in late January to early February. In northern provinces, hotel booking rates suffer most in March and April, when the haze is thickest in the area. Last year, hotel occupancy rates in Chiang Rai dropped to just 50% last March.
Here’s a good example of why they are keeping away:
At 8 o'clock on Sunday morning, a flight from Harbin, China, operated by regional low-cost carrier AirAsia X was scheduled to land at Don Mueang Airport in northern Bangkok, the airline's hub in the Thai capital. Instead, the plane was diverted to the city's larger Suvarnabhumi Airport after visibility at Don Mueang dropped to 150 meters as haze enveloped the city. At least five kilometers is considered safe by the Thai civil aviation authority. The passengers found themselves stranded from their tour groups and connecting flights.
As you well know, these kinds of delays are routine during winters in Delhi.
Data points to note: Bangkok has experienced only eight days of AQI under 100 this year. Reminder: Tourism comprises 12% of Thailand's gross domestic product.
Example, Nepal: The country’s greatest and largest attraction—the Himalayas—are becoming invisible due to pollution:
Lucky Chhetri, a pioneering female trekking guide in Nepal, said hazy conditions had led to a 40% decrease in business. "In one case last year, we had to compensate a group of trekkers as our guides could not show them the Himalayas due to the hazy conditions," she added… Krishna Acharya.. says the trekking industry is in deep trouble. "Our member trekking operators are getting depressed because no sighting of the Himalayas means no business. Many of them are even considering changing professions," he told the BBC.
The most alarming quote to note:
Experts believe the Himalayas are probably the worst affected mountain range in the world given their location in a populous and polluted region. This could mean the scintillating view of the Himalayas could now largely be limited to photographs, paintings and postcards.
Ugh, what does this mean for the future—for tourism or tourists?
Air pollution is dramatically altering global tourism—these trends will only accelerate as the world warms. Every bit of data shows that tourists shun polluted cities—wherever they are in the world:
Recent studies have highlighted the growing importance of air quality in travel decision-making. Rodrigues et al. emphasize that while air quality may not significantly influence initial travel planning, episodes of air pollution during trips can drastically alter travel behavior, prompting adaptive strategies to mitigate negative effects. Similarly, Meena and Goswami [14] note that awareness of air quality indices and real-time pollution data plays a vital role in shaping travel choices, with commuters often altering routes or modes of transport to reduce exposure.
The research also shows that residents of smog-affected cities routinely flee to less polluted destinations. For example, hotels outside Delhi have a steady stream of guests—many of them booking long 9-14 night stays. Irony alert: This, of course, leads to overtourism in ‘fresh air’ destinations.
Say hello to ‘toxic air season’: which sums up this reshaping of the global tourist landscape—and what’s happening to India:
Many places see "toxic air seasons" as the new normal: a regrettable, unavoidable part of the calendar. Unfortunately, this drastic pollution may see visitors shunning countries entirely for those periods. End-of-year travel is a key time for holidays, but coincides in many destinations with colder temperatures that trap pollutants close to the ground.
Sadly, nations most hit by smog are also those who most depend on tourism: “Egypt, ranked ninth worst for air quality, relies on holidaymakers to support one in 12 local jobs.”
(Disney)lands of ‘fresh air’: In a world choking on emissions, clean air is the most lucrative tourist attraction. A fact already apparent in the ‘souvenir’ cans of local air being sold in Iceland, Italy and Canada—and their PR campaigns:
Countries lucky enough to sit on prime real estate — brimming with clean air — are waking up to their commodities. A 2020 study by travel think tank TCI Research found that air quality is one of Europe's top three key competitive selling points for tourists. And you can already see this theme cropping up in marketing campaigns around the globe. Tourism Canada's 2023 campaign invited tourists to "take your maple leave". The video ad features a cheerful Canuck by a windswept lighthouse, urging viewers to enjoy "a breath of fresh air in a world full of stress".
A ‘fresh air’ makeover: Even hotels are revamping their facilities to promise high quality indoor air. In Delhi, the Taj claims to have Swedish technology air systems to control pollution. “We have also established a monitoring system that tracks carbon dioxide levels and have an advanced ventilation system that maintains prescribed air changes per hour.” On the other side of the world, a boutique hotel in New York—RH Guesthouse—offers the FreshBed, “a US$50,000 piece of kit that wafts purified air through the mattress so guests can customise temperature and humidity levels for restorative sleep.”
Quote to note: Places that do enjoy clean air will soon move to protect their most valuable resource—by charging higher prices and capping visitors—much as Bhutan does. Fresh air will soon become a luxury amenity, as travel expert Feliciano-Chon says: "The reality is we're moving in the direction where there will be a premium to access these places, one which only affluent travellers will be able to afford."
The bottomline: In February, the Tourism Ministry told Parliament that it has not conducted any study to assess the impact of air pollution on tourism—or to determine how tourists are affected by pollution. It is instead busy promoting religious tourism—because it is undoubtedly easier and cheaper. Meanwhile, industry cheerleaders insist the India brand is “formidable” and “on the upswing”—all it needs is better marketing: “We have the best tourism product in the world—it’s just that not enough people know about it. The government should spend at least Rs 1,000 crore to market it effectively using social media."
Reading list
Economic Times has the latest reporting on the industry’s declining international visitors in India. Mint has the numbers and data points as also why foreigners are giving India a miss. The Print has a ground report on India’s falling tourism numbers, and how the numbers started dipping from 2019 itself. Times Of India has more on how Taj Mahal gets hidden from sight every pollution season. Read Firstpost for an explainer on how pollution is choking Thailand’s tourism sector. BBC News has the deets on why the Himalayas are getting harder to see every passing year, and also how air pollution is changing when and where we travel. Skift has the reporting on how Indian hotel brands are setting off the impact of pollution. Read our Big Story from earlier this year explaining India’s domestic and foreign tourist numbers.
