New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS): Over four lakh tourists came to India in August this year, as compared to 3.82 lakh last year during the same period, an official said here Tuesday.

This year, the figure touched 4.02 lakh. In 2009, the figure was 3.70 lakh, an official of the tourism ministry added.

"There has been a growth of 5.3 percent this year over last year. While last year, the growth rate was 3.3 percent as compared to 2009," the official said.

From January to August this year, about 38.19 lakh tourists visited the country, indicating a growth of 10.2 percent as compared to 2010 during the same period.

In the same period last year, about 34.67 lakh travellers visited the country. It showed a 7.6 percent growth as compared to the same period in 2009.

The official said foreign exchange earnings during the month of August were Rs.5,734 crore (over $1 billion) as compared to Rs.4,620 crore in August 2010 and Rs.4,115 crore in August 2009.

An estimated 5.58 million tourists came to India last year, as compared to 5.11 million in 2009.