New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS): In a bid to promote domestic tourism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked Indians to visit at least 15 tourist destinations across India before 2022 -- when the country will mark 75 years of freedom.

Addressing the nation on Independence Day from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister underlined that India "has much to offer" to tourists.

"I know people travel abroad for holidays but can we think of visiting at least 15 tourist destinations across India before 2022, when we mark 75 years of freedom?" he said.

The number of Indians going abroad for holiday, particularly to the US, the UK and China, has been steadily on the rise.

A report by a private firm said visa applications to Thailand have gone up. European countries have proved to be a favourite for the Indian crowd.

Official data says the number of foreign tourists coming to India is also going up. It totalled 8.80 million in 2016, 10.04 million the next year and 10.56 million (provisional) in 2018.