The latest batch of official tourism statistics from the government of India has made for interesting reading. First of all, Tamil Nadu emerged as the top destination for foreign tourists, with twice as many visitors as Delhi and three times as many visitors as Rajasthan. Now, the sleepy state of Jharkhand has emerged as the fastest growing tourist destination in India.

Jharkhand growing in popularity with tourists. Image by Wasim Raja

If pressed, few people outside India would be able to place Jharkhand on a map, and fewer still could name its attractions without some Google-assisted searching. Even in India, Jharkhand, the dusty state wedged between Bihar and West Bengal, is more associated with Maoist rebels and restive tribal groups than relaxing holidays.

Nevertheless, the state recorded a 40% increase in tourism from 2012 to 2014, with 33.5 million visitors in 2014, including 158,000 foreign tourists, up from a miniscule 3111 foreign visitors in 2001. The exact reasons for Jharkhand’s growing popularity are unclear, but one likely factor is the improving security situation since the centre approved the creation of the state from the southern part of Bihar to appease tribal separatists in 2000.