New Delhi, May 21 -- In late March, an Indian couple in their 30s checked into a luxury hotel in Agra for a quick three-night escape, just as the international tourist season was winding down. Once a magnet for global travellers, the hotel had long been a familiar stop on the international circuit, alive with foreign accents and camera-laden guests heading to the Taj Mahal. But this time, the scene had changed. The lobby, the restaurant, even the hotel's puppet shows and pottery classes-once dominated by overseas visitors-were now filled almost entirely with Indian tourists.

Domestic travellers had quietly taken over a space that, not too long ago, was firmly international.

So, where have all the foreigners gone?

On paper, India's inbo...