e-visas open up new vistas in Puducherry tourism

It takes forward some of the ideas of French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius

July 11, 2014 12:35 pm | Updated 12:35 pm IST - PUDUCHERRY:

Foreign tourists enjoying the view from Puducherry Beach. Photo: S.S. Kumar

Foreign tourists enjoying the view from Puducherry Beach. Photo: S.S. Kumar

Even as several tourism schemes pending clearance from the Centre find no specific mention in the Budget presented in Parliament on Thursday by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the proposal to grant e-visas to international tourists coming to India could help boost tourist arrivals to this destination.

A ‘visit e-visa’ is an electronic document obtained online and does not require a visa stamped in the passport prior to arrival in another country. In other words, this is almost an equivalent of visa-on-arrival, though the documentation procedures are more detailed.

For Puducherry, which now bears the ungainly tag of an administrative headquarters without air connectivity, the launch of e-visa facility could, at least, provide hope of attracting portions of a potentially bigger influx of foreigners touching southern destinations such as Goa, Hampi and Mahabalipuram.

Mr. Jaitley’s e-visa announcement takes forward some of the ideas proposed by French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius, who had last week called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi — even extending an invite to Paris on behalf of French President, Francois Hollande — as well as other top functionaries of the NDA regime, including his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj.

“To push tourism between the two countries, from January 3, 2015, France will be putting in place a new visa issuing procedure that will ensure visa in less than two days. This is an important step to strengthen tourism and exchanges between people,” Mr. Fabius, who is also looking after the tourism and trade portfolio, had stated.

What Mr. Jaitley has proposed to give a fillip to international tourism in India is to introduce the facility of Electronic Travel Authorization (e-Visa) in a phased manner at nine airports in India where necessary infrastructure would be put in place within the next six months.

The countries to which the electronic travel authorisation facility would be extended would be identified in a phased manner. This would further facilitate the visa on arrival facility, the Finance Minister stated.

“The e-visa is an excellent idea. It will certainly help tourism,” said French Consul-General Philippe Janvier-Kamiyama.

“We await the full details of the policy and its implications to comment any further,” he said.

Meanwhile, sources in the government said that the lack of any mention in the Budget of specific proposals pertaining to Puducherry was nothing to be worried about as the budgetary exercise was more or less “directional” in character.

Tourism Minister P. Rajavelu, earlier this week, submitted proposals to the Union Minister for State for Tourism, Shripad Naik, seeking a release of Rs. 100 crore towards the project “Development of Eco Beaches in Puducherry” under the scheme for development of mega destinations in 2014-15.

Last month, the government, at a meeting with the Union Tourism Ministry, had submitted a set of proposals for development of heritage area in Puducherry, Bharathi Park, beaches and other facilities.

“Irrespective of whether local schemes get a mention in the Budget or not, our proposals form a small part of the Tourism Ministry’s annual budget,” an official said.

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