MoT welcomes relaxation of visa norms
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The Ministry of Tourism in India has welcomed the decision to relax the visa regime in the country.
The Union Tourism Minister, Dr K Chiranjeevi has thanked the Prime Minster, Manmohan Singh; Congress Vice President, Rahul Gandhi; External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid; Union Home Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde; Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Rajeev Shukla and Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
The new system of Tourist Visa-on-Arrival (TVoA) and Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will be rolled out by October 2014. The new scheme will be extended to all the countries except eight countries of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.
The prospective visitors will apply online for ETA by filling up a two-page visa application to the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) online. The application will be examined and within three day the applicant will be informed whether or not he/she can travel to India. BOI agreed to extend the ETA to all countries expect the above mentioned eight countries.
Include China and Sri Lanka in new VoA scheme – IATO
The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has urged the government of India to include China and Sri Lanka in the new Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) and Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme.
The new scheme announced last week is applicable for 180 countries, with major exception to countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Iraq. Welcoming the move, Subhash Goyal, President of IATO said, “No doubt the move is going to boost the tourism sector in a big way. However, China and Sri Lanka should have been included in the new scheme. China contributes over 200,000 tourists to India, while Sri Lanka contributes over 300,000 tourists per year. The movement from both these countries is round the year.”
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