India becomes second largest overseas market for US tourism as visitation surges 40 per cent
Bengaluru (PTI): Travel from India to the US is witnessing sustained and robust growth, with India emerging as the second-largest overseas source market for the US, Brand USA president and CEO Fred Dixon said.
Dixon was in Bengaluru as part of his visit to India for the 12th edition of Brand USA Travel Week.
He noted that the growth underscores the increasing sophistication and spending power of Indian travellers, as well as their growing appetite to explore destinations beyond traditional US gateways.
“We’re thrilled that travel to the United States from India continues to grow at a really incredible pace. We’re up 40 per cent in terms of visitation volume since before the pandemic, since 2019,” Dixon told PTI.
He added that 2025 marked the second consecutive year of strong recovery, with more than two million Indian visitors travelling to the US.
“We just finished the second year, 2025, with more than two million Indian visitors to the United States, which has now made India the second-largest market into the United States from overseas,” Dixon said, calling it “an incredible feat” and a testament to the strength of the Indian travel market.
While New York, California and Florida continue to be the most popular destinations for Indian travellers, Dixon said repeat visitors are increasingly venturing deeper into the country.
“India is now in the top 10 source markets for most US destinations, if not the top five,” he said, noting that this reflects how widely Indian travellers are now exploring the US.
According to him, the presence of a large US delegation at Brand USA Travel Week India reflects the growing importance of the market. The delegation includes about 75 representatives from US destinations and travel businesses engaging with Indian travel trade partners and media from across the country.
Looking ahead, Dixon said 2026 would be a landmark year for US tourism, driven by a convergence of major global events.
“It’s an incredible year for us. In 2026, you’ve got three major events happening in the United States that are really once in a lifetime,” he said.
Highlighting the FIFA World Cup, Dixon said, “The FIFA World Cup is coming to the US this summer. It’ll be in the months of June and July, and it’s the largest World Cup ever, with 48 teams in 11 host cities across the US, from Seattle to Miami.”
He added that the tournament would generate excitement not just for football fans but also for local communities across the country.
The World Cup will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States, with celebrations peaking around July 4, while 2026 will also mark a major anniversary of Route 66, one of America’s most iconic highways.
“It’s probably the greatest symbol of the great American road trip,” Dixon said, adding that Indian travellers are increasingly interested in self-drive holidays across the US.
Dixon said Brand USA, as the national tourism marketing organisation, is playing a key role in promoting these events globally.
Emphasising the economic impact of Indian travellers, Dixon said, “India is not only our second-largest market by volume today, it’s now the second-highest spending market.” He described Indian tourists as long-stay visitors who are discerning in their travel choices, making them especially valuable to the US tourism economy.
On Brand USA Travel Week India, Dixon said the event has recorded strong participation and outcomes.
Looking to the next five years, Dixon said the outlook for the India–US travel corridor remains highly positive.
“If the last two years are any indication, I think the Indian market is going to continue to climb,” he said, adding that Brand USA has been “bullish on India for a long time.”
He also pointed to a decade of major sporting events in the US — including the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, the Rugby World Cup in 2031, and the Winter Olympics in 2034 — as strong long-term demand drivers.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
