Number Of Indian Visitors To US Falls For First Time In 8 Years 

The number of Indians visiting the United States has fallen for the first time in eight years, The Times Of India has reported. The number of Indian visitors to the US fell from 11.72 lakh in 2016 to 11.14 lakh in 2017, according to the National Travel and Trade Organisation (NTTO).

NTTO had temporarily suspended publication of overseas arrival data due to anomalies in data received from US Customs and Borders Protection. As a result, the figures for 2017 were delayed. The number of travellers to the US from India had fallen for the first time since 2009 when NTTO had seen an eight per cent decline.

It is estimated that the number of international travellers has been rising 10-12 per cent annually for the past few years. The fall in the number of travellers has been attributed to the perception that it is difficult to obtain a US Visa. However, travel agents who spoke to the Times of India said that the perception was not correct.

The overall number of international travellers to the US rose by 0.7 per cent. The number of travellers to the US from South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Ireland and Canada grew in number.