As the world economies started their recovery processes from the pandemic, India also plans to reopen tourism sector.
On Wednesday, while addressing the Global Covid Summit hosted by US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, “We also need to focus on addressing the pandemic’s economic effects. To that end, international travel should be made easier through mutual recognition of vaccination certificates.”
According to a report by The Indian Express, the date and modalities for opening up of the country to foreign tourists are being discussed by officials from the Union Home Ministry (which decides on visas) with all the stakeholders, including officials from the Ministry of Tourism, state governments and tour operators’ associations. A formal announcement is expected within a week.
Earlier the government had announced that 500,000 visas for foreigners would be issued at free of cost in an attempt to help tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors recovery. The e-tourist visa has been suspended since March 2020. The free visa will be issued till March 31, 2022, or on a first-come-first-serve basis, whichever is earlier. There has been a lot of pressure from stakeholders in the tourism industry since the sector has been hugely hit due to the pandemic and restrictions.
Meanwhile the vaccine rollout in India is progressing. As per the latest report, 639,303,166 (46.8%) people received at least 1st dose and 229,470,950 (16.8%) have been fully vaccinated. The high number of population is the main barrier in completing vaccine rollout in the country.