Rise in tourists availing Visa on Arrival scheme

A growth of nearly seven per cent has been recorded in the number of tourists availing Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme between January and February, the government said today.
During this period, 3,883 VoAs were issued as compared to 3,637 VoAs issued during the corresponding period of 2013, it said.
"A growth of 6.8 per cent percent has been recorded in the number of tourists availing of the tourist Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme during the period January-February, 2014," it said in a statement.
The government had launched the VoA in January 2010 for citizens of five countries -- Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore. Subsequently, the scheme was extended to the citizens of six more countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar in January 2011.

During February alone, 1,980 VoAs were issued under the scheme as compared to 1,947 VoAs in February, 2013, registering a growth of 1.7 per cent, the statement said.
They were issued to nationals from 11 countries such as Japan (539), New Zealand (389), Indonesia (299), the Philippines (283), Singapore (258), Finland (127), Myanmar (30), Vietnam (24), Luxembourg (18), Cambodia (10) and Laos (3).