Reform To Perform: The Number Foreign Tourists On E-Visa Rises Four-Fold Since 2015 After Government’s Visa Liberalisation

The numbers of foreigners visiting India on electronic visa (e-visa) has shown a four-fold increase since 2015, reports The Hindu.

The number of foreign tourists who visited India on e-visa has gone up from 4.5 lakh in 2015 to 18.7 lakh till October 31 this year. In 2017, Indian government received more than Rs 17 lakh foreign visitors and Rs 760 crore in e-visa fees while receiving more than Rs 990 crore this year till 31 October 2018.

The e-visa scheme was launched by the current government on 27 November, 2014 and covers 166 countries as of now.

The scheme, after approval from Indian authorities, facilitates people to apply online for Indian visa from their home country after which they receive an email authorising them to travel to India. The tourists can travel with a printout of the authorisation.

The highest number of visitors were from the United Kingdom (2,92,143) followed by the United States (2,21,339), China (1,27,022), France (1,07,185) and Germany (89,863), reported The Hindu.

The government has designated 26 airports and five seaports in India where the foreigners can come without interacting with any official before checking in at the immigration counter. They will, then, need to present the e-mail authorisation to the immigration authorities before getting entry into the country.