The Indian Government has extended a trial to allow limited visas on arrival, while separately easing the visa process for 43 visitor nationalities.

Leisure tourists visiting India from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan and the US will all be able to obtain visas on arrival at nine Indian airports, while the visa procedure for visitors from another 43 countries has been simplified.

Visitors from these other countries can now apply online for visas, so doing away with the previous cumbersome process of queuing for hours at local Indian Consulates.

A.S.Lal, CEO of the Kreol Travel Retail joint venture in India with the World Duty Free Group at Cochin Airport was one of the first travel retailers in the country to welcome the changes today. He said: “The new visa rules, such as visa-on-arrival and long-term visas for business people from certain countries, will bring more passengers and footfall to India’s travel retail outlets.  

“International passengers are key to growth in our industry. We welcome the new rules and expect their speedy implementation rather than just juicy announcements.”

 

 

Bangalore Airport.

 

 

COUNTRIES WITH VISAS ON ARRIVAL
According to the Indian Government, the 43 countries (excluding the UK) where residents can apply for visas on arrival are as follows: Australia; Brazil; Cambodia; Cook Islands; Djibouti; Fiji; Finland; Germany; Indonesia; Israel; Japan; Jordan; Kenya; Kiribati; Laos; Luxembourg; Marshall Islands; Mauritius; Mexico; Micronesia; Myanmar; Nauru; New Zealand; Niue Island; Norway; Oman; Palau; Palestine; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Republic of Korea; Russia; Samoa; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Thailand; Tonga; Tuvalu; UAE; Ukraine; USA; Vanuatu; and Vietnam.

Visitors from these 43 countries can now apply for their visas on arrival at the international airports in India of New Delhi; Mumbai; Kolkata; Hyderabad; Goa; Bengaluru (above); Chennai; Kochi; and Thiruvananthapuram. Nationals of the countries simply require a passport which is still valid for at least six months and a photograph.

The necessary documents can be uploaded from https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html where applicants will also be asked to pay US$60 per person. Travel authorisation is then subsequently confirmed by email.

Kreol Travel Retail’s A.S.Lal (pictured below) said he is now hopeful that this move by this year’s incoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP government will help increase the number of international arrivals into the country which were estimated at around 7m in fiscal year 2012-2013.

SIGNIFICANT GAME CHANGER?
Lal says this number is about four times less than the 26m foreign visitors traveling to both Thailand and Malaysia in 2013, with India ranking 65th out of 140 countries in a World Economic Forum ranking on travel and tourism competitiveness.

“We hope to come out of this low ranking soon,” said A.S.Lal. “The new visa-on-arrival rules have the potential to be a significant game-changer for India’s travel retail industry. The Indian diaspora is comprised of approximately 26m people, many of whom do not have Indian nationality.

“This provides a large pool of potential tourists who have ties to India. Medical tourism is also a growth area, particularly from the Middle East and Africa. And then there are those of us who make last-minute travel plans.”

With India’s tourism industry contributing approximately 6% to the country’s GDP and accounting for just 5% of employment, a surge in tourist arrivals would provide a much needed boost for the economy, he said.

 

[Above: A.S. Lal and above: Mumbai International Airport].