CHENNAI: Demonetisation did not impact India’s bulging inbound tourism market, data released by the tourism ministry show. Despite the widespread cash crunch since Prime Minister Narendra Modi scrapped old high-value notes on November 8, 2016, tourists have continued their love affair with India – thanks to e-visa!
In December 2016, a total of 1,62,250 foreign tourists arrived in India on e-tourist visa, registering a growth of 56.6 per cent, with travellers from the UK topping the charts at 22.4 per cent, followed by the US (16.4 per cent) and Russia (7.7 per cent), according to a release by the tourism ministry.
During the year, a total of 10,79,696 tourists visited India using e-visa compared to 4,45,300 during 2015 – a growth of 142.5 per cent.
The government had launched an electronic visa scheme in November 2014, which is now offered to citizens of 161 countries arriving at 16 international airports in India.
“Ease of e-visa and growing numbers of corporate travellers contributed to the growth in inbound travel,” said Jaideep Ghosh, partner and head – tourism and hospitality at KPMG.
Echoing similar sentiments, Aloke Bajpai, CEO of ixigo, a travel search marketplace, said a major reason for the jump in foreign tourist footfall is the e-visa facility.
With investment in infrastructure and advanced connectivity, India is on the path to becoming a foreign tourist’s dream holiday destination, he noted.
Among the countries availing e-tourist visa, the share of China in 2016 was highest at 5.3 per cent. New Delhi occupied the first slot in the top 10 airports where tourists arrived on the e-facility at 36.6 per cent.