Mapping India-EU tourism flows

Abstract

India and the EU have expanded their bilateral economic and investment ties significantly in the last decade or so. As a result of closer ties, the EU has emerged as a very important destination for various types of cross-border flows from India. In addition to the growing movement of professionals and students, there has also been a marked rise in cross-border flows of tourists between India and the EU. Given the economic and strategic significance of promoting tourism flows for fostering bilateral relations, this paper attempts to map the tourism flows between India and a selected few EU countries and also examine their relative significance as destinations or sources. The paper also draws some possible inferences about tourism’s role in facilitating irregular migration.