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Published on : Wednesday, February 24, 2021
The central government of India is all geared up to restart the e-tourist visa facility of the country in phases along with scheduled international flights. Priority would be given to the countries that have an air bubble agreement with India.
While explaining the thing in the inauguration ceremony of India Tourism Mart last week, Harsh Vardhan, the union minister for health and family welfare, mentioned that the Ministry of Health is all set to help the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism in reviving international tourism in India.
Some of the countries with which India has struck up air bubble agreements are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Canada, Germany, Japan, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, UAE, UK and the US.
The announcement was greeted by the Indian tour operators, saying that the e-tourist visas will activate as a stimulation of inbound tourism.
E M Najeeb, chairman of ATE Group of Companies, informed TTG Asia that restrictions related to travel in markets like Europe could enthuse regional travelers to stay longer in India, to make the hassle worth it.
“They could stay for one or two months, and opt for wellness treatments besides going for sightseeing,” he said.
Since the government’s vaccination roll-out started last month, Industry confidence has been climbing. Najeeb explained that the decrease in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in India, a successful vaccination drive, along with local tourism players following all government health and safety rules in toto will work together to give international travelers confidence in India.
Some tour operators are forecasting that for India, Thailand and Japan will come out as significant source markets as tourism recovery begins.
“Considering the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in markets like Europe, we may not immediately see tourists coming from there. So, we need to look at Asian markets, especially those with a significant Buddhist population. It is a good time to promote our Buddhist circuit in such markets. We also need to ensure the highest cleanliness standards in our tourist destinations so that tourists planning to visit India feel confident,” said Lally Mathews, managing director, Divine Voyages.