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India welcoming more tourists following new e-visa policy
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The sun rises over the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, on Nov. 18, 2009. (AP/Gurinder Osan)
I
ndia has seen a 200-plus percent increase of tourist arrivals following introduction of its e-visa, a tourist visa that is issued electronically, to 150 countries, including Indonesia.
Previously, the e-visa facility was offered to 113 countries.
According to a press release on Wednesday, 675,302 tourists entered the country using the e-visa between January and September, an increase of up to 234.8 percent compared to the same period last year. Among the top 10 visitors using the facility in September alone were citizens from the UK (15.5 percent), US (12.4 percent), China (9 percent), Australia (6 percent), Germany (4.8 percent), France (4.3 percent), Spain (3.6 percent), Canada (3.1 percent), United Arab Emirates (2.6 percent) and Malaysia (2.6 percent).
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Meanwhile, the top 10 airports chosen by e-visa users during that month were New Delhi (51.71 percent), Mumbai (21.06 percent), Bengaluru (6.44 percent), Chennai (6.27 percent), Kochi (3.5 percent), Hyderabad (2.45 percent), Kolkata (2.34 percent), Trivandrum (1.35 percent), Amritsar (1.18 percent) and Dabolim (Goa) (1.11 percent).
The e-visa can be used for casual business, leisure and short duration medical treatment visits. Online application submission and payment for the visa must be done at least four days prior to departure and it will be valid for 30 days.
Entrance to India using the e-visa is applicable for 16 international airports, namely the Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum and Varanasi airports. (kes)
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