Nations offering visa-on-arrival to Indian nationals reap profits, say tourism experts

Countries offering VoA (Visa-on-Arrival) facility to Indian nationals are benefitting economically as an increasing number of them are evincing interest to travel to those countries. The VoA facility is also allowing travellers from India to change holiday plans at the last minute. Travellers usually opting for VoA are said to be short-term travellers and business travellers, who take decisions at the last moment. Soraya Homchuen, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand –Mumbai, was quoted by Voyager’s World as saying that as per the new visa policy, Indian travellers applying for visas in advance need not pay fees, which is truly a benefit. According to Chiranjib Biswas, Destination Manager, Kenya Tourism Board, India was the third most prominent tourist market for them, next to the US and the UK. He was hoping that India would become the top source market for Kenya in the future. Vivek Anand, Country Manager– Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, India, feels that the VoA was a gift for Indian tourists since they usually plan at the last minute. Shelly Chandhok, Country Manager, Visit Indonesia Tourism Office- Mumbai, said that Indonesia had become a popular tourist destination with Indians after the visa rules were relaxed. The number of Indians arriving in Mauritius reached 83,000 in 2016, which is an increase of 15 percent compared to 2015. The expectation for 2017 is about 91,000 Indian arrivals, an increase of 10 percent compared to 2016. Similarly, the total numbers of Indian arrivals in Indonesia in 2016 reached 376,802 when compared to 271,252 in 2015. Shelly is expecting that Indian arrivals would increase to 550,000 in 2017. If you are looking to travel abroad on a holiday, get in touch with Y-Axis, a renowned immigration consultancy firm, to apply for a tourist visa.