India has been crowned Destination of the Year for 2027 by Travel + Leisure, adding some glitter to a country that's been quietly working to win back international visitors. The annual title, handed out since 2014, previously went to Brazil (2026), Thailand (2025) and Costa Rica (2024).
The award lands at an interesting moment. Foreign arrivals to India hit 10.93 million in 2019, then dropped after the pandemic and still haven't recovered — 2025 brought 9.15 million, about 8% below the peak. India has big ambitions, though: the government wants 100 million tourists a year by 2047, coinciding with the centenary of independence. A high-profile endorsement from one of the biggest names in travel publishing should help.
Travel + Leisure editor-in-chief Jacqui Gifford made a personal case for the country, recalling her first visit at age three — the colours, the naan, the saris, the traffic, the warmth of everyday conversation. India, she wrote, "seeps into your skin". It's a sentiment long-time visitors will recognise; the country has drawn travellers since the hippie trail era, with wildlife, wellness traditions and icons like the Taj Mahal doing the heavy lifting.
So where to start in a country of 3.29 million square kilometres, 28 states and eight union territories? For a city break, the magazine points to Udaipur, sometimes called the Venice of the East. Seven lakes surround the city, and the sights include the City Palace and the hilltop Monsoon Palace. You can even sleep like royalty: the Taj Lake Palace, floating on Lake Pichola, regularly features among the world's best hotels.
The capital, New Delhi, offers the Qutb Minar and Humayun's Tomb — and works well as a launch pad for the Taj Mahal at Agra. Further off the beaten track, the recommendations include the Lakshadweep archipelago, where only a handful of islands open to tourists each year, making it one of Asia's harder-to-reach beach escapes. Madhya Pradesh rewards wildlife lovers with India's largest tiger population, plus striking temple architecture. And in the south, the Chettinad region stands out for its distinctive mansions and architectural style.
Why should this matter to you? Awards like this tend to push a destination up everyone's shortlist, and 2027 could see more flights, hotel openings and attention on India. Going before the crowds catch up — or picking the less obvious corners like Lakshadweep and Chettinad — is a smart play. First-timers can stick to the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur; repeat visitors have tigers, backwaters and island beaches to work through. Either way, a country this size rewards picking two or three regions and doing them properly rather than racing across the map.
Story first reported by Euronews Travel.
