The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) on Wednesday welcomed the government's plan to introduce a five-year electronic tourist visa for a fee of USD 80 along with easing several e-visa regulations.
The move to reduce regulatory hassles as well as the fees will encourage foreign tourists to travel to India which has been experiencing slowdown in foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs), FHRAI said in a statement.
After more than a decade of negligence of this sector and a resultant slump, the slowdown in FTAs is certainly not helping the industry's growth prospects, FHRAI Vice-President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli said.
"So, the government's plan to reduce e-visa fees is much welcome which will encourage tourists to travel to our country," he added.
While it is important to draw foreign tourists to India, it will do good for tourism if the domestic tourist is also encouraged to travel. By incentivising the resident Indian whose disposable income is on the rise, the government can give a big boost to tourism within the country, Singh said.
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