2015 was a profitable year for India as over 4.45 lakh tourists arrived in the country through the online visa scheme. The number of visas issued online increased by 1,040 percent.
This increase was only for online visas issued. The total number of foreign tourists who visited India in 2015 stand at over 70 lakh, a 4.5 percent growth over last year.
Ministry of Tourism (India) statementThis high growth may be attributed to introduction of e-tourist visa for 113 countries.
In the Tourism and Travel Competitive Index as per the World Economic Forum report, India has moved up 13 positions from rank 65 to 52.
Where Did They Come From
- UK: 23.81 percent
- US: 19.5 percent
- Australia: 5.44 percent
- Germany: 4.86 percent
- France: 4.44 percent
- China: 3.10 percent
- Republic of Korea: 1.83 percent
- Ukraine: 1.67 percent
According to The Times of India, most of these tourists arrived in major international airports of India. The highest percentage of arrivals was recorded in New Delhi, at 36.23 percent.
Earlier many tourists were being denied entry due to lack of documentation. When the number of complaints increased, the ministry changed the nomenclature of visa-on-arrival to e-tourist visa. The facility has been increased to 113 countries from a mere 40 countries.
The tourism ministry now plans to extend it for medical visas as well. The facility for applying for visas online started in November 2014.
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