Saturday 22 November 2014

Tourist Happening

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India to offer online visas to 45 countries
Himanshi Dhawan
New Delhi:


India will offer online visa facilities for 45 countries including US, Australia, Germany , Israel, Japan, UAE, Palestine, Jordan, Thailand, Singapore and Russia. The facility will be announced on November 27 by the ministries of home affairs and tourism.
This is the first time that electronic visas will be implemented in the country. Elaborating on the government's focus on tourism and culture, Union minister Mahesh Sharma told TOI, “The PM has given a vision for the importance of Indian tourism.We will take the country's rich heritage and culture via tourism and aviation to the world... This will create employment for youth whether it is medical tourism, adventure or rural tourism.“

Countries that already have visa on arrival and will be able to apply under the electronic travel authorization (ETA) scheme include Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Phillippines, Laos and South Korea.

Once implemented, ETA will allow foreign travellers to apply for a visa on a separate website and receive an online confirmation within three to five working days. ETA will be available for a 30-day period from the date of the tourist's arrival in India.

The e-visa scheme received the PMO's nod in June and is expected to be implemented in the coming months.

The countries that are unlikely to be on the list include SAARC and countries that are on “prior reference“ list, which include Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Afghanistan. Officials said plans were afoot to include all 109 countries in phases.

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