Every government loves a big number. And why wouldn’t they? Big numbers are wonderfully easy to cheer for.
India’s 2047 target of 100 million tourists is a good example. It sounds fantastic. But it comes at a time when arrivals are falling and our 2025 foreign tourist arrival was at 9 million. Also, it’s 21 years away, which means nobody has to answer for it anytime soon. By the time the deadline rolls around, the people who made the promise will probably have moved on.
And the announcement is the easy bit. The hard part is everything that has to happen behind it: the policy, the infrastructure, the air connectivity, the marketing and the experience a visitor actually has once they land.
So what does a serious target look like? It comes with a budget, a roadmap and a scorecard that gets checked every year.
To be clear, we don’t doubt that a destination like India can draw 100 million visitors. The question is whether we’re building a system that gets us there steadily, year after year, rather than just hoping the number takes care of itself.
So we went looking for answers. Along the way, we found a country that set a similar goal, missed it, and still ended up far ahead of where it started. How it got there is worth knowing.
Do read the full story in this issue. And if you finish it wondering who exactly will be answerable in 2047, well, so are we.
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Headlines
India’s Foreign Arrivals Are Falling — but the 2047 Tourism Target Is Now 100 Million
by Peden Doma Bhutia
October 10, 2026
Royal Orchid Follows Indian Travelers Beyond the Metros, From Pilgrim Towns to Branded Homes
by Peden Doma Bhutia
October 7, 2026
Mumbai Airport Plans to Move a Third of Terminal 2’s International Departures. Airlines Are Pushing Back
by Peden Doma Bhutia
October 5, 2026
Watch or Listen
The airline industry is navigating its most unpredictable period since the pandemic, with fuel prices, geopolitical tensions, premium travel demand, and aircraft shortages reshaping the competitive landscape. Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat break down the data behind the headlines, explaining why airlines remain profitable despite rising costs and unprecedented volatility.
