India, Feb. 13 -- Here's something to ponder over. Last year India attracted 6.2 million foreign tourists. Sri Lanka attracted around 2.35 million visitors. To put this in context, consider the difference in size between the two countries. India is nearly 50 times the size of Sri Lanka. In fact, the state of Tamil Nadu alone is bigger than all of Sri Lanka.

Or look at it another way. Rajasthan is the greatest attraction for foreign visitors to India. But Sri Lanka gets nearly as many tourists as all of Rajasthan. While foreign arrivals in Rajasthan suffered a drop in 2025 compared to the previous year, Sri Lanka experienced record growth. And Rajasthan is five times the size of Sri Lanka.

We know why people come to India. Tourists are a...