The extended visa-on-arrival facility is likely to be implemented in the coming October tourist season, after the necessary infrastructure is put in place. The Home Ministry had delayed the decision due to security reservations, and tourists from countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Sri Lanka will remain excluded from the provision.
Despite its continental proportions and the rich diversity of its tourist attractions, India has long remained a tiny dot on the world tourism map — receiving just 0.6 per cent of the world’s total international tourist traffic.
India accounts for only 1.6 per cent of world tourism revenues. In 2012, India received 6.6 million foreign tourists, whereas China received 57.7 million. Even many smaller countries in the region did much better — such as Turkey (35.7 million), Malaysia (25), Thailand (22.4), Saudi Arabia (13.7), South Korea (11.1), Singapore (10.4), UAE (9.0), Indonesia (8.0), Taiwan (7.3) and Vietnam (6.8).
Foreign tourist arrivals into India lingered in the range of 2.1 to 2.7 million for nearly a decade from 1995 to 2003. But following the ‘Incredible India’ marketing campaign, its share of world tourism rapidly improved to 5.1 million in 2007. This campaign projected an integrated image that increased India’s visibility in important source countries. But the growth in tourist inflows has slowed since 2007.
Will the new visa policy ensure that India achieves its target of nearly doubling foreign tourist arrivals to 12.6 million by 2016?
The liberalised visa policy can definitely help. But achieving the target would still be a tall order, unless there is a paradigm shift on other fronts. Industry insiders often point out that India needs more direct flight connections with major hubs in Europe and North America, and more hotel rooms — but these are not the primary constraints. Flights and rooms will follow as demand builds up.
There are essentially two things that India needs to concentrate on, if it is to develop into one of the world’s noteworthy tourist destinations — a position that it rightly deserves.
The first of these is that India’s tourist destination brand must be more focused. India seems to offer everything from deserts to evergreen forests, beaches to snow-clad mountains, ancient historical sites and pilgrim centres to modern-day urban hotspots. The flip side is that the diversity of claims makes the image of India very unclear to the prospective tourist.
This is in stark contrast to the distinct images that stand out in one’s mind when thinking of Spain, China, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand, Macau or even Saudi Arabia as tourist destinations. Perhaps one solution is to concentrate on what India is better known for — undoubtedly its history and culture — and proactively market the most attractive destinations to begin with.
An alternative would be to vigorously promote specific parts of India as distinct destinations in their own right. Kerala for example has a verdant landscape, azure backwaters and rejuvenating Ayurvedic treatments, while Rajasthan has royal splendour against the backdrop of a tropical desert.
The second important action point for India would be to dramatically improve infrastructure, cleanliness and upkeep. Tourists do not see just the temples, forts and palaces. They are also exposed to various other things, which make a deep impression on their minds and contribute to the overall experience.
While it would be a challenge to achieve the required transformation across the entire country, urgent steps must be taken to upgrade the sensory appeal of the environment in the most important tourist centres and the routes connecting them. Tourism cannot be developed in isolation of broader changes. The Tourism Ministry’s ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (Guest is God) campaign addresses some of the issues by promoting civic sense among the general public and good hospitality practices on the part of tourism service providers. But much more needs to be done, and on a war footing. Otherwise, the liberalised visa regime may bring in additional tourists who are more disappointed than pleased with what they see of India.
R. Harish is the Dean (Academics) at the IBS Business School, Bangalore, India.
The “visa factor” as an element of deterrence for potential tourists visiting India is, I think, rather underestimated by Dean Harish. As an Indian he does not have to go through the nightmare process of applying for a simple tourist visa, a process which has become more of a nightmare, not less, in recent years. I love India, and I agree with everything that Dean Harish says about its attractions for the visitor; I try to go once a year, but the demands made by the Indian Visa Service in Madrid on the last occasion I applied for a visa were enough for me to say, “enough, I’ll go to Sri Lanka, or Burma, or …” In addition to the several pages of application form, I was required to furnish a certificate of solvency from my bank, and to submit the summary page of my most recent tax return, both of which are unacceptably intrusive. Then I had to wait almost three weeks for the application to be processed.
I am not alone in my reaction: I have met so many people who have said, after their own experience applying for Indian visas, “never again”. There is also a huge variation in the visa requirements, depending on where one submit the application. The Indian High Commission in London, for example, is far more attuned to the needs of visitors than the vast majority of Indian diplomatic posts elsewhere.
So, if the Government of India really does implement a visa-on-arrival service, and such a scheme is not stymied by the justly notorious security bureaucracy, it will make an enormous difference to the experience of the tourist visiting India, and will do a lot to encourage people to make repeat visits, to see the huge variety of landscapes, culture, history, cuisine that India offers, rather than saying “never again”.
That was very insightful, as it comes straight from the heart from a person who has actually experienced the difficulties of getting an Indian visa under the prevailing system. Thank you Mr. Felipe. The proposed visa regime will surely help in this respect, and overcome the first hurdle.
As someone with almost a pathological hatred of bureaucracy (especially the mindless variety)I agree completely with Mr de Rivera. But is India really so different when it comes to visa requirements? I travel about twice a year to Europe and my passport is full of Schengen visas, yet each time I apply I have to submit the unacceptably intrusive income-tax returns for not one, but three years as well as 6 months of my bank statements!(apart from multiple pages of application form and a three ‘working’ weeks processing time – about a month of elapsed time. On the other hand, I also have a 10 year multiple entry US visa!
Tourist arrivals are impacted by more serious issues such as omnipresent touts, 3rd world standards of hygiene and appalling infrastructure. Even in Kerala – God’s own Country (!), sign-posting is laughable, toilets are rare, clean toilets rarer and foreigners are fleeced.
Well, in my opinion, it will definitely increase the number of visitors to India. India is popular all over the world for its rich heritage.
Let me add my comments. I have been to India with my wife three times in the recent past. to Goa, I am now applying for a Visa to travel in December and a process that used to take 2-3 hours is currently exceeding 6 weeks. This is due to the third party outsourcing companies that the Indian High Commission use (VFS in UK, BLS in USA).
I have given up waiting (over 7 weeks) and I am cancelling my flight, my house rental and I have lost money on my 3 night stay at a Taj hotel. I have expired Indian tourist Visas in my UK passport already, showing that I have been ‘approved’ in the past. I am Uk citizen with no relation to any other country. The Visa process is appalling. I also travel a lot on business so to allow the luxury of the Visa process hanging onto my UK passport (which I need for other flights for business) for a few months is something I and my employer cannot afford.
I love India , the food , the people but the Indian Visa process is doing more damage to tourism than an outbreak of ebola in Goa. When I finally do get the visa then I would, of course spent over £200 pounds sterling (£80 per person + admin costs). probably lost my flight and house rental money as well.
They say there might be Visa on arrival in India soon – but I can imagine the queues and I am sure you will not get out of the airport for days. So goodbye India. I am going to vacation in countries that welcome tourists and not put them through hell , expense, and disappointment when trying to obtain a simple 3 or 6 month visa.
The problem with India is that tourists cannot get in!
This is true. Long-winded procedures and operational inefficiencies do frustrate prospective tourists and affect tourist arrivals to India.
The Times of India (December 15, 2014) carries a news item about reduced tourist arrivals in Goa, and the appeal by the local tourism and hospitality sector for extending visa-on-arrival facility to UK citizens.
In the mean time, on 27th November, the Indian government has launched Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for citizens of 43 countries (UK unfortunately is not among them). This envisages prospective visitors to India applying for visa from the comfort of their homes and getting the same in a matter of 72 hours.
The Indian visa regime is improving, though security concerns come in the way of dramatic reformation.
Nonetheless, to achieve a big leap in tourist arrivals, India needs to do much more than liberalizing and simplifying the visa process.