The ministry of external affairs may soon extend visa-on-arrival to 16 more countries including France, Germany, South Korea, Belgium, Sweden, Vietnam, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands. This facility, introduced in January 2010, is at present available to tourists who arrive from Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore.
The Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports can issue this visa.
Of the 3 million or so foreign tourists who visit India every year, about four per cent can opt for a visa on arrival. This number is expected to go up to nine per cent, about 22,500 a month, with maximum visas issued to France and Germany. It is not known if the facility will be extended to USA and UK, which remain the biggest source of tourists to India. While 16.5 per cent of tourists to India come from US, 15 per cent come from UK.
Despite about 12,500 passengers every month being eligible for visa on arrival currently, the Delhi and Mumbai airports, which together account for 45 per cent of the total air traffic in the country, receive only around 650 passengers a month who opt for this facility.
An executive of Delhi International Airport said the airport has been sounded out to this effect by the ministry. “However, we do not expect the passenger traffic to go up in the short term as awareness of such a change in rules takes time, and people need to grow confident of being granted a visa after landing,” said he. “Passengers aren’t willing to take that risk initially.”
The important question is if the airports have the infrastructure to handle the additional tourist arrivals that the extension of the facility may cause. “We had a meeting last week to discuss the issue. The present facility is expandable and we can make the necessary arrangements quickly once we get the official directive,” an executive of Mumbai International Airport said. “The official communication is expected in about two months.”
Indian nationals are granted visa on arrival in 29 countries. These include countries such as Burundi, Tanzania, Bolivia and Sri Lanka.
Minister of State for Tourism Kumari Selja had said earlier that visa on arrival will provide a boost to the tourism sector. However, tour operators are cautiously optimistic of the possibility. “Just allowing visa on arrival won’t help the sector. The government also needs to promote India as a destination in these countries. The current visa on arrival is a single-entry visa with a validity of 30 days, and a tourist can come to India only twice a year on this visa,” said Karan Anand, the head of relationships and supplier management, Cox and Kings India.
Hi
I am resident of turkey right and now working in cruise ship usa and I want to fly directly from usa to India as my friend is resident in mumbai.What are procedure i can follow.
Yes, the visa process is extremely humiliating. But, let's think practically here.
Firstly, western countries are under the impression that their tourism industry doesn't gain much by allowing visa-free travel to citizens from South-Asian countries. In other words, they don't care whether Indians visit their country or not. Besides, there are chances that people from such countries might travel there and refuse to return.
Whereas, the Indian Tourism industry makes most of its bucks from western tourists. And, how many western tourists might refuse to return after visiting India?
I think unless India reaches a point where its living standards are par with the western countries, we cannot hope much in the visa departments.
Cheers.
It is HIGH TIME India asserted itself vigorously in the world community and transacted its business on a quid-pro-quo basis. If India wants to be thought of as a world power, it should BEHAVE like one. Instead, we go out of our way to be extra-nice to the firangs, even when the firangs are not being even remotely nice to us! This has to stop. Let India tell other nations that it will extend to their citizens ONLY the same privileges and concessions that they extend to Indians, or otherwise they can go jump in a lake and die for all we care! And then see how quickly they come around and play the game on level terms. The world doesn't respect character or good intentions... not anymore. It only respects POWER, and power is the thing India must exhibit and exercise. When are we going to learn??!!
Yes, I agree with this earlier argument that the western countries should reciprocate, should India issue visas on arrival. However, the western countries are socially much more stable than India and much more attractive financially for someone coming from India to want to make the effort to stay in a financially and socially stable place. There is a strong social system in Europe for example and the people are well taken care of, which is not the case at all in India. A westerner is much more likely to return to his socially and financially more stable counntry after visiting India as an Indian is to return to India. I love India, don't get me wrong! but the authorities in the richer countries are always more protective of what they have than the poorer countries, as the incentive to stay in the richer countries is far greater for someone coming from a poorer country. So, I think you need to differentiate a bit here.
Posted by: Noel
November 11 , 2011, 04:12 IST
And why UK is asking a transit visa to fly via London with out entering the country
Why does India allow Visa on arrival when getting a visa to visit these countries is a nightmare for Indians, leave alone getting a visa on arrival? If they want to come in easy, let them make it easy for Indians. Otherwise let them sweat it, just like they make us Indians sweat it. I hereby protest and hope more of my compatriots will and eventually our democratic government will reverse the decision or pressure these countries to make it easy for Indians.
Posted by: David
October 31 , 2011, 23:26 IST
Yes, Indian's should not allow Europeans very easily, because they make us sweat for issuing a tourist visa. India is a wealthy country. If they give Indians a visa on arrival then we could do it. otherwise we should not let them come to Indian visa on arrival.
My wife, daughter and I were ready to fly to Delhi on the spur of the moment last week but when we found that we had to go through the process of getting a visa and that it could take up to a week we went to Paris instead.
Now, it may be years before we decide to travel to India, I think that the process of applying for a visa hampers tourism.
Posted by: Tathagata Chatterjee
July 05 , 2010, 01:11 IST
Agree with you, but honestly if you don't visit India its your loss. Yet I am strongly against making travel to India easier for Westerners, simply because western countries don't reciprocate the convenience to Indians, rather its quite a distasteful process, like showing your finances, bank account, property, list of wives, etc etc etc. Therefore I am avoiding travel for pleasure to EU, UK, US, Australia etc, and spending my money in countries where I don't have to strip naked to get a visa.
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