 "US sees 16x visa spike in Re 1 sale; Vietnam, SA among top picks: Atlys")
A two-day visa sale offering international visas and appointments for just ₹1 saw thousands of Indian travellers applying to visit countries including the United States, South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia and the UAE.
The campaign, run by travel platform Atlys on August 4 and 5, marked what the company claims is India’s first-ever visa sale. Demand spiked across both metro and smaller cities, with strong interest from first-time international travellers, millennials and Gen Z users.
Which countries saw the most visa applications?
The United States topped the chart on Atlys during the ₹1 visa sale, followed by South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia and the UAE. South Africa, in particular, saw a 22x spike in visa applications over its daily average.
Other destinations also saw sharp increases:
United States: 16x growth
Bali: 4.8x
Vietnam: 4.5x
Sri Lanka: 4.2x
Where did the surge come from?
Metro cities recorded a clear jump. Bangalore led with an 11.5x increase in visa applications, followed by Mumbai (7.84x) and Delhi NCR (6.54x).
Tier 2 cities also registered strong activity. Mohali and Surat stood out, each with around 6.4x growth in applications.
Tier 1 average: 7x growth
Tier 2 average: 5x growth
Who applied and where were they going?
Millennials drove 50 per cent of all applications, followed by Gen Z at 37 per cent. The remaining 13 per cent came from other age groups, according to Atlys.
Around 20 per cent of applicants were first-time international travellers. Popular destinations for this group included South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong—places considered relatively affordable or with higher approval rates.
Gender data showed:
• 62 per cent of applications came from men; 38 per cent from women
• Women preferred the US, South Africa, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Vietnam
• Men showed broader preferences, favouring the US, South Africa, UAE, Indonesia and Vietnam
The company saw a sharp rise in new users during the event, alongside continued activity from returning applicants.
However, the Re 1 offer did not cover everything. “Consulate and biometric fees will have to be paid directly by the applicant at the processing centre and were not included in the promotion,” Nahta clarified.
According to a 2024 report by the European Commission and Condé Nast Traveller, Indian applicants lost over Rs 664 crore globally in non-refundable visa fees that year. These include payments made for applications that were either refused or withdrawn, as well as fees kept by private agents.
“We didn’t just bring down costs; we opened up possibilities,” said Mohak Nahta, founder and CEO of Atlys. “The surge in demand from new users, first-time travellers, and users from cities large and small shows just how ready India is to explore the world.”
Note: The data by Atlys only shows the number of visas applied for and not the number of visas approved as that is in the jurisdiction of the embassies and consulates of the concerned countries.