The ETA enabled VoA scheme was availed by 28,851 foreign tourists in March as against 1,958 during the same month last year, registering a significant increase of 1,220.3 per cent, according to Tourism Ministry data.
The scheme has been made available for 44 countries by the government, and tourists from the USA registered the highest percentage at 33.25 pc followed by Germany 14.64 pc, Russian Federation 13.13 pc, Australia 8.37 pc, Republic of Korea 6.39 pc and Ukraine 4.21 pc.
The foreign exchange earnings from tourism was Rs 10,451 crore in March as compared to Rs 10,152 crore in the same month last year, showing a rise of 2.9 per cent.