Govt moots visa power for tourists

Visa-on-arrival for 16 nations, to be issued initially at Delhi and Mumbai airports.

The ministry of tourism is pushing for visa-on-arrival facility to around 16 countries, a senior government official said. Initially, the visa facility can be issued at only two international airports, Delhi and Mumbai, on an experimental basis. The ministry is also preparing a note to the committee of secretaries on the matter.

"Visa-on-arrival has already been delayed. It had to happen but got delayed due to red tapes," the official added. The 16 countries proposed as part of this initiative are France, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Vitenam, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The ministry has already waited for over two months now for the security clearances from the Ministry of Home Affairs but feels the need to push forth the matter. Further, while it has already received an in-principle nod from the ministry of external affairs, an official nod is awaited.

Industry experts have time and again rubbished the security concerns cited by the home ministry. They give the examples of Sri Lanka and the Philippines which have opened visa-on-arrival facility despite severe internal law and order problems. In case of the Philippines, visa-on-arrival facility has been extended to around 65 countries.

The tourism ministry officials cite the group of ministers on tourism, headed by human resources development minister Arjun Singh, which has strongly recommended visa-on-arrival facilities to encourage tourist inflow.

The official adds that the initiative can be put forth on an experimental basis and can be withdrawn in future, if and when found unfeasible. Moreover, the ministry is considering granting the facility initially to the destinations considered safe.

He added that in some countries like France, Japan, Australia and Germany, the embassy staff were apparently found to be unable to cope up with the tourist visa requirements and the tourist population.

Also, in some places people found it difficult to go to their respective country capitals for visas. As per the official estimates, the tourist inflow in calendar year 2004 was 3.37 million.

It is likely to touch 5 million in 2005 in the wake of the 16.9% growth on year in the January-July period this year.

The ministry feels that the inflow can easily cross 6 million if the visa-on-arrival facility is implemented.

The facility is considered to be need of the hour for Indian tourism now. Industry experts expect a minimum of 20 per cent immediate increase in the tourist arrivals when the visa-on-arrival facility is implemented.

The arrivals of foreign tourists will certainly increase because then one need not wait to procure a visa to visit the country.

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Tourist inflow in calendar year 2004 was 3.37 million

It is likely to touch 5 million in 2005 in the wake of the 16.9% growth in January-July

The inflow can easily cross 6 million if the visa-on-arrival facility is implemented