New Delhi, April 30 -- In hotels across India, not much looks different at the first look. The check-ins are the same, the wedding crowds have not gone away and the weekend rush in Goa or Jaipur continues. But beneath that familiar rhythm, the industry is quietly shifting-towards the domestic traveller.

India's inbound tourism has now inched past its pre-pandemic lows, but the growth has been uneven. Foreign tourist arrivals were at 20.57 million in 2024, about 15% higher than the pre-covid levels. But these soon eased off to a provisional 20.09 million in 2025, down 2.4%.

And now, even as global travel grapples with the fallout of the West Asia war, India's hospitality industry has entered the year on a firm footing, with demand anchor...