India welcomed a record number of international visitors in the first quarter of 2017.

The total of 2.85 million arrivals for the January-March 2017 period marked a 13.7% increase compared to Q1 2016 and new first quarter record. International tourism revenues also soared to record levels, rising 14.6% to INR463.1 billion (approx. US$ 6.9bn).

In March 2017 alone, India welcomed a total of 905,000 international visitors, 10.7% up year-on-year.

Bangladesh was the country’s top source market during the month, accounting for 21.3% of the total, followed by the US (10.4%), UK (10.3%), Russia (4.3%) and Malaysia (3.4%). Canada (3.3%), Germany (3.0%), Sri Lanka (2.9%), China (2.8%) and France (2.8%) completed the top 10.

India’s e-tourist visa scheme also grew in popularity in Q1; the country issued 467,000 e-visas during the three-month period, up 45.6% year-on-year.