New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS): The arrival of foreign tourists in the country as well as the foreign exchange earnings are on the rise, Tourism Minister K. Chiranjeevi informed parliament Friday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Chiranjeevi said foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) grew from 57,75,692 in 2010 to 63,09,222 in 2011 and in 2012 the figure was 65,77,745. A total of 38,31,715 tourists visited India between January and July this year.

According to the minister, the foreign exchange earnings (FEE) from tourism are rising as well.

From Rs.64,889 crore in 2010 to Rs.77,591 crore in 2011 and Rs.94,487 crore in 2012, the earnings have been rising at a steady rate. The figure for 2013 is Rs.50,448 crore, from January to July.

Meanwhile, number of Indian tourists travelling abroad have also risen.

In 2010, over 1.29 crore people travelled abroad and the figure rose to over 1.39 crore the following year. The figure further rose to over 1.49 crore in 2012 while data for 2013 was not available.