Tourism Minister KJ Alphons (File photo: PTI)

NEW DELHI: Foreign tourist arrivals in India has seen a 14 per cent jump in 2017 and foreign exchange earnings in the sector during the same period was Rs 1.77 lakh crore, Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons said on Monday.

Alphons also said in Lok Sabha that is a shortage of two lakh rooms in the tourism sector, mostly in the mid-segment.

The minister said there has been a 28.8 per cent increase in domestic tourist visits in the country between 2014 and 2017 while 20.4 per cent jump in foreign tourist visits in the same period.

As many as 10.04 million foreign tourists have visited the country in 2017 which was a growth of 14 per cent in comparison to the previous year, he said during the Question Hour.

The minister said the estimated foreign exchange earnings through tourism in India during 2015, 2016 and 2017 were Rs 1.35 lakh crore, Rs 1.54 lakh crore and Rs 1.77 lakh crore respectively.

