Govt looks at easing e-visa restrictions

Written by Divya A

Kevadia (gujarat) | Updated: February 20, 2021 08:32 AM IST

2 min read

covid-19 in india, covid restrictions in india, indian e visa, india e visa restrictions, indian express news

There may be a reciprocal visa arrangement with some “safer” countries.

The government said it was looking to ease e-visa restrictions for international travellers coming into India, but would tread cautiously considering the new Covid-19 strain.

“The deliberations are on with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Health Ministry in this regard, and we shall soon be able to arrive at a conscious decision regarding e-visa relaxations,” said Arvind Singh, Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism, on the sidelines of the annual convention of domestic tour operators in Gujarat’s Kevadia recently. Sources say that an inter-ministerial meeting in this regard will be held as early as next week itself. But Singh clarified that the visa restrictions can be eased only if the success of the vaccination is established abroad and there is confidence that the numbers of cases are decreasing.

He added that the US, UK and Europe were the major sources of international tourism to India, but they remained among the regions worst hit by the pandemic. So the Centre, he said, was taking a very cautious approach in reopening the e-visa facility. “The final decision will depend on a lot of factors, including bilateral arrangements with other countries,” he said, adding that the discussions on easing visa restrictions for international travellers was definitely on and the air bubble arrangement may soon be expanded. There may be a reciprocal visa arrangement with some “safer” countries.

Till international visitors can start coming again, the government is going all out to promote domestic tourism to fill the gap in the tourism sector.

The Ministry of Tourism, as part of its ongoing engagement with industry and its stakeholders, supported the Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) for their annual convention at Kevadia, from February 12 to 14. The convention is the first major physical event being organised by the industry post-lockdown.

The writer was a guest of Ministry of Tourism at ADTOI, Kevadia

Divya A

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

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