Indian E-Visa: Is India Ready to Welcome Foreign Tourists in Large Numbers?

In a major overhaul to the tourism industry, India has launched the E-visa facility for 43 nations. It means a hassle-free visa process for the tourists: no consulate visits and no paper work. Only an easy online procedure and they can set their foot on the Indian soil. There ends the matter. No, not really we say. It actually starts the moment foreigners get their passports stamped on arrival at the airports.

The dotting questions of the hour are - can India accommodate to the needs of the foreign tourists? Give them a great experience and not just showcase the sightseeing spots? The Tourism Ministry is confident and is already answering these questions.

Swacch Environment

The Swachh Bharat initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has touched a many strings. From celebrities to local businesses across the nation and common men, everybody took brooms in their hands and posted their cheeky pictures on Social Media. But that won't meet the purpose. Because it's not about cleaning a place once, but keeping it clean forever.

Coming back to the Swachh Environment need for the foreign tourists, India is taking steps to clean its lakes and rivers, railways, and of course the roadways. It won't be available all right away for our foreign friends, but a few years and efforts from each one of us will have that environment available - not just for them but for all Indian citizens as well.

Touts

Most foreigners face touts the moment they are out of the airports and it's not limited to India, it happens in many countries across the world. However, India is taking strict measures to curb it. Recently, addressing the media, Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said, "There will be tough action against touts who are found harassing tourists coming from outside. It will not be tolerated."

The Times of India quoted him saying, "The first checkpoint is that after tourists disembark at our airports, we will give them the option of travelling by chip-enabled taxis, which would be secured. The complete bio-data of the taxi drivers will be available with us. It will be implemented in three months."

That's not all. We also have other prominent leaders announcing measures to curb the issue of touts. Economic Times reportedly quoted Home Minister Rajnath Singh as saying, "The home ministry will ensure that all the tourists coming to India are safe and secure and we will provide required framework to ensure their safety."

Impeccable Public Transport

This is one area that needs to be addressed by the tourism industry. The public transport system is in dire need of attention. Though there's good connectivity between cities by road, rail and air, there's a good need for cities to fix internal transport. Tens of cab services are however addressing the tourist requirements and offering them convenient, reliable, and affordable services.

If the government initiatives successfully address the aforementioned needs, establish tourist information centers, then there's every likelihood of attracting more tourists to the country. For now, it can be said that India is ready to welcome the tourists and is attentively listening to them.

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