Visa on Arrival scheme clocks 16.4% growth

The number of international tourists who opted for Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme to enter the country grew 16.4 per cent in the first six months of this year.

As per the Ministry of Tourism, a total number of 6,721 visas on arrival were issued compared with 5,774 during the corresponding period of 2011.

Citizens belonging to countries that include Japan, New Zealand, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore used this facility.

During January-June, the maximum number of VoAs were issued at Delhi airport, followed by Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

As a facilitative measure to attract more foreign tourists to India, the Government launched the ‘Visa on Arrival’ (VoA) scheme from January 2010 for the citizens of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore, visiting India for tourism purposes.

This was further extended to citizens of six more countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos and Myanmar from January 2011.

Keywords: International tourists, visa on arrival, foreign tourists, India, VoA scheme

Sourced: thehindubusinessline