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The government issued 1,27,999 regular tourist visas and 2,27,225 e-tourist visas from October 6, 2021 to March 31, 2022, the Parliament was informed on Monday.
Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha.
In response to another query, he said the government has promoted green initiatives to advocate responsible tourism in the country during G20 meetings in partnership with states and industry.
"The venues hosting G20 meetings adopt various green initiatives, including non-use of single use plastic, conservation of water and energy apart from other initiatives," Reddy said.
The ministry had also launched Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme which will focus on sustainable and responsible development of tourist destinations.
Greening of tourism sector for a sustainable, responsible and resilient tourism sector is one of the five key priorities of the Tourism Working Group.
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Asked if after the pandemic of COVID-19, the government has started free tourist visa for foreign nationals, he said the government had on June 28, 2021 announced grant of first 5 lakh tourist visas without charging visa fee, once, tourist visa is restored, which was applicable for both e-tourist visa and regular tourist visa".
The government allowed foreign nationals to enter into India for tourism purpose on e-tourist visa/tourist visa through charter flights (for group tourism only) from October 15, 2021, the minister said.
Individual foreign nationals were allowed to enter into India for tourism purpose on e-tourist visa/tourist visa from November 15, 2021. Free tourist visa was applicable only to e-tourist visa/tourist visa issued on or after October 6, 2021. The validity of these tourist visas was to be 30 days with single entry. This scheme was valid till March 31, 2022 or till the issuance of first 5 lakh tourist visas, whichever is earlier, he added.
"A total of 1,27,999 regular tourist visas and 2,27,225 e-tourist visas were issued from 6th October, 2021 to 31st March, 2022. e-tourist visa was initially available for nationals of 156 countries which has now been revised to 166 countries; whereas, regular tourist visa was available for most of the countries," he said.
In response to another query, he said the Ministry of Tourism has been supporting small tour operators through capacity building and other initiatives, however, their share in the tourism demand depends on various other factors, including market forces.
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