Indian government may grant e-visas to MICE sector soon

The Indian government, which had kept e-visas on hold for the MICE (Meetings Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) sector, may give them a go-ahead soon. Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had turned down a request from the Tourism Ministry to issue e-tourist visas to the MICE delegates on the grounds that there would be ‘security concerns.’ A repeat request from the Tourism Ministry, however, is reported to have made the MHA rethink and a conditional approval is expected to be given soon. A senior official in the Tourism Ministry was quoted by The Indian Express as saying that they had made requests to the MHA to issue e-visas to the MICE segment this time. As of now, any visitor who wishes to travel to India on a business trip is given an e-visa. So why should a person coming for a conference not be given one, asked the official. The MHA and the MEA can, therefore, issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to people holding conferences that are not harmful to the interests of the country in any manner.