e-visa facility for 43 countries will boost tourism: India Inc

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SME Times News Bureau | 29 Nov, 2014
The rolling out of e-visa facility for tourists from 43 countries, including the US, Israel, Palestine and Japan, by the government will boost the tourism industry in India, feels India Inc.

"This is an extremely positive measure and FICCI welcomes this initiative of the government. The rolling out of the e-Visa facility would give a tremendous boost to the tourism industry as it would make it convenient for visitors to travel to our country," said Jyotsna Suri, president, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and chairperson and managing director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group.

Apart from these four countries, the government will also extend e-visa facility to tourists from Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Tonga, Laos, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Kiribati, South Korea, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, Vietnam and Vanuatu.

The e-visa can be had following four simple steps through a website.

This visa will allow entry of the tourists into India within 30 days from the date of approval of ETA and will be valid for 30 days' stay from the date of arrival. The facility will be extended to other nations in a phased manner.

The tourists will be allowed to enter and depart from nine international airports - Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.

"The increase of tourism will benefit the entire travel, hospitality & related sectors, generate more jobs and contribute to the country's economy," Suri said.

"However, we need to pursue measures to improve the infrastructure facilities in and around our key tourist destinations so that visitors leave with a memorable and pleasant experience," she added.