After being shut out of all sorts of discussions for the past 15 months, since India and the rest of the world got hit by the Covid-19 Pandemic, India is finally getting started (hopefully!), with the business of reviving tourism by giving out free tourist visa to India.
Free Tourist Visa to Visit India for 500,000 international tourists
One of the new announcements today made by the Government of India is about issuing free-of-cost Tourist Visas to visit India. Pre-pandemic, India used to receive 1.1 Crore (11 Million) Foreign Tourist Arrivals per annum. Now, the first 500,000 tourist visas issued, once India will allow entry to this category of visitors, will be issued free of charge.
The government states that this benefit will be available once per tourist, and will be applicable till March 31, 2022 or till the first 500,000 visas are issued.
This proposal seems to indicate some line of thinking from the Government, of opening up tourism. However, I personally believe that India is, at this point in time not ready to open up again, as they wait it out for the impeding third wave, and also all the talk around the Delta+ variant of the SARS-Cov-2 Virus lurking around. Don’t forget, the country has only fully vaccinated 4% of the population, and most cities and tourist destinations are shut at the moment. Also, international air travel opening continues to be postponed every month. How are people expected to fly in without reasonable fares, which typically came via sixth freedom flights into India?
Bottomline
India has announced it would give 500K tourists free visas to visit India, as long as they apply by March 2022. This looks like an ambitious plan, but an honest attempt, and I hope the tourism sector is given all the support they deserve to get things going for them in India once again.
What do you make of the Government’s move to issue free tourist visa to visit India? Would you partake?
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India needs to simplify its visa system. $60 USD for a one time use visa is absurd. Something akin to the $7 US ESTA fee (which is applicable for ten years) is more reasonable. Get rid of the confusing bank surcharges. A few years ago they were complaining people were taking 5 year visas instead of ten. Just remove the 5 year visa option entirely. Fix the OCI process. A document with 100 year validity is a security nightmare.
@Jay, Visa pricing is a subject of PhDs perhaps, but usually a result of reciprocity between two nations.
That’s true, though usually only for full long term visas. I was referring more to e-visas or visa on arrivals. India gives those to people from some 180 countries, regardless of reciprocity. Those are available, but still expensive and available on a glitch ridden website with unnecessary extra fees (credit card surcharge, processing fee, et al), that should all just be rolled into the list price.
Very good. I also hope that
Those of us who bought expensive five year visas get ours extended. It is good for all my friends employed in the wildlife sector.