According to the latest figures released by the India Tourism Office at London, British travelers account for approximately one-fourth of all e-visas issued globally.
Britons embraced the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) facility started by India, since its inception in 2015. Britons have applied for approximately 197788 e-visas out of the total of 881817 e-visas issued worldwide.
With about 900000 e-visas issued during 2015, the United Kingdom represented the strongest market share internationally. It ranked on top out of the other 112 countries availing the new e-visa system.
India has always been a popular tourist destination for holidaymakers form the United Kingdom; approximately 870000 visitors from United Kingdom visited India in the year 2015. This year during the month of July over 16 percent of the total international tourists arriving in India were from the United Kingdom.
“Until August last year, British visitors had to go through a process of booking an appointment and presenting relevant documentation at visa processing centers, a relatively long process. Now, the India e-Tourist Visa Scheme has vastly simplified travel to India and is a proven success. The scheme is expected to boost UK tourist arrivals to India, assisting in India Tourism’s aim to attract one million UK visitors to the country”, said Raj Sunani, assistant director at India Tourism Office London.
The e-visa system has made traveling to India easier as it has reduced the time and expenditure on procuring the travel permit to enter a country.
The e-Tourist Visa Scheme in India was primarily launched on a restricted basis during November 2014, for the populace of only 77 nations. Later in August 2015, it was modified to cover 113 countries across the globe, including the United Kingdom.
