Tourism sector records 10 per cent growth

With over 88 lakh foreign tourists visiting India last year, the tourism sector saw a growth of over 10 per cent, President Pranab Mukherjee today said.
In his address to the members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, he said the government has approved a new e-VISA policy and expanded its scope by including purposes such as short- term medical treatment and business trips.
"Realising the importance of developing tourism, my government has approved the new e-VISA policy and expanded the scope of e-tourist visa to include purposes such as short-term medical treatment and business trips. 161 countries are now covered under e-VISA," Mukherjee said.

He said the government will maximise the strengths of Indian diaspora of over 30 million people spread across the globe in "nation building and for deepening global outreach".
"There are over 30 million overseas Indians, settled in almost every corner of the world. They continue to make invaluable contributions to Indian society and economy," the President added.