E-Tourist Visas pushes foreign tourist arrivals growth by 117% in September

The foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) to India have grown 116.9% in September 2016 as compared to the corresponding period last year on e-Tourist Visa. The tourist from the UK was the highest and accounted for 15.5%, followed by US (12.4%) and China (9.0%) amongst countries availing e-tourist visa facility during September 2016, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

During the month of September, 2016 a total of 68,809 foreign tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 31,729 during the month of September, 2015 registering a growth of 116.9%. This high growth may be attributed to introduction of e-Tourist Visa for 150 countries as against the earlier coverage of 113 countries, said the ministry.

The highest number of tourist arrivals has been seen in New Delhi (51.71%), followed by Mumbai (21.06%), Bengaluru (6.44%), Chennai (6.27%), Kochi (3.50%), Hyderabad (2.45%), Kolkata (2.34%), Trivandrum (1.35%), Amritsar (1.18%) and Dabolim (Goa) (1.11%).

The facility of e-Tourist Visa has been made available by the Government of India to the citizens of 150 countries, arriving at 16 International Airports in India.