India "Considering Partial Entry Permission for Foreign Tourists"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] India is considering allowing partial entry for foreign tourists. Since March last year, India has suspended the validity of most foreign visas.

A senior Indian government official told the local daily Times of India on the 19th (local time) that "inter-ministerial discussions are underway to allow certain tourist visas."

The official said, "We plan to start issuing tourist visas for some countries where the COVID-19 situation is under control," adding, "Even if foreign tourists are allowed to enter, necessary quarantine and other preventive measures will be applied."

In India, the validity of various visas such as employment and business visas has been gradually restored, but tourist and electronic visas are still suspended.

Flight operations are only permitted for domestic routes, repatriation of nationals, special flights by individual countries, and bilateral flights with specific countries such as the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

India's consideration of allowing tourist entry comes as the related industry has suffered a significant shock due to the COVID-19 pandemic lasting about a year.

Before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019, 18 million overseas travelers visited India. It is estimated that 57% of them were tourists for leisure and other purposes.

The Indian economy has shown signs of recovery since the second half of last year as quarantine controls have been eased. Foreign investment has surged and consumer sentiment has started to stir, with India's representative stock index, the Mumbai Stock Exchange SENSEX, surpassing 52,000 points for the first time on the 15th.

However, the overall economy has not yet fully revived. The Times of India reported that {$_international tourism industry recovery to past levels is expected to take 2 to 3 years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.