India-Pakistan travel sees shifts in numbers, purpose, and demographics

In 2023, close to 30,000 Pakistani nationals visited India, the highest in four years and a significant 70% increase from 2022. These visitors also stayed the longest among all foreign nationals, averaging 76 days per visit, compared to the overall average of 22 days. After Pakistanis, visitors from Yemen stayed the longest (67 days), followed by Nigerians (50 days).

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However, this upward trend is likely to reverse, as India has recently suspended all short-term and medical visas for Pakistani citizens. Historically, such diplomatic tensions have caused steep drops in visitor numbers, for instance, a 93% decline in 2001 after the Parliament attack, 38% after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and 58% following the 2016 Uri attack.

Arrivals from Pakistan had already been declining since 2016, when over 100,000 people visited India. The peak was in 2015 with 1.24 lakh arrivals. Since 2017, the average annual number of Pakistani visitors has dropped to 27,000, compared to 72,000 per year between 2001 and 2016.

The composition of travelers from Pakistan has also shifted notably. Business and professional visits dropped from 10% in 2016 to just 1.8% in 2023. In contrast, leisure travel more than doubled, rising from 12% to 30% in the same period. Medical tourism and visits by Indian passport-holders living in Pakistan have also declined.

Another notable change is the age profile of visitors. Children aged 0-14 made up 21% of Pakistani visitors in 2023, up from just 8.5% in 2016. Meanwhile, the proportion of young adults aged 25-34 declined from 30% to 17.5%, while those aged 35-44 made up 22% of arrivals.
Outbound travel from India to Pakistan has also reduced. In 2023, only 17,405 Indians traveled to Pakistan, nearly half of them aged over 55, with about a third going for religious pilgrimages. Notably, Indians stayed abroad for an average of 69 days in general, but only 28 days when visiting Pakistan.