The Prabhu-Gadkari duo has caused an upsurge in tourism in India despite two monsoon failures and a depressed rural economy.

Going by the figures released by the government for the year 2015, there is an increase of over 11 percent in domestic tourist visits and over four percent in foreign tourist visits. This jump has been possible only because of the improved connectivity and transport options offered by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari.

While Prabhu has focussed on developing more passenger amenities, Gadkari has been on a mission to strengthen India’s road network. He has already completed 6,000 km of highways.

Since travellers in India prefer the rail and road modes, the remarkable improvement in these sectors has contributed to some good times for tourism in India.

The Market Research Division of the Ministry of Tourism, which compiles data on domestic and foreign tourist visits to the states/union territories (UTs), released data for the year 2015 on Thursday (30 June 2016).

Especially surprising developments include West Bengal nudging out Rajasthan in attracting foreign tourists and Andhra Pradesh, which is struggling to put its house in order after its bifurcation from Telangana, taking third place in the domestic tourism sector.