Patna: Tourist flow into Bihar grew for the third consecutive year in 2017.

According to tourism department figures, 2.88 crore domestic tourists visited the state from January to November last year (data for December are still awaited). In 2016, 2.85 crore tourists visited the state. The figure for 2015 was 2.80 crore. The number of foreign tourists to Bihar was 9.64 lakh in 2017, around 36,000 less than the 10.10 lakh of 2016.

"The figures are quite encouraging and we are confident of surpassing the foreign tourist number of 2016 as a large number of them visited during the December Prakash Parv and also Buddhist events in the last month in Bodhgaya and nearby places," said a tourism department official.

State tourism minister Pramod Kumar called the increased flow of tourists a sign of encouragement. "We are committed to add more amenities for tourists and hence we have decided to press for an increase in the budgetary allocation this year," he added.

In 2017-18, the tourism department budget was around Rs 100 crore. Officials are working to double that figure for 2018-2019. Minister Kumar said around Rs 500 crore allocated by the Centre would help develop several tourist spots of the state and boost the sector. Efforts are also on to work closely with private players to provide better and more economical facilities for tourists.

The tourist flow growth surprised industry insiders.

"It is not being reflected in hotel occupancy," said Bodhgaya-based tour and travel consultant Arun Kumar Ojha. "Most hotels in Bodhgaya witnessed 30 to 40 per cent occupancy in November; earlier it used to be around 70 per cent."

K.N. Jha of the Rajgir-based Indo-Hokke hotel agreed: "If tourists are coming to Bihar it should reflect in the business of hotels. It is not happening at least in Rajgir."

Patna hotelier Narendra Kumar said the government needed to take steps to sustain the flow of tourists and add more amenities to tourist places.