The Goa Tourism on Wednesday reviewed the on-going E-Visa and Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) facility launched at the Goa Airport at Dabolim, and sought to implement measures to strengthen the mechanisms and simplify the processes.
Suggestions for additional counters to facilitate issue of the E-Visas and VoA, continuation of the Group Landing Permit system for the on-going season, an official Porter Counter, Signages in foreign languages disseminating VoA and E-Visa data and payment of fees were some of the recommendations that were deliberated upon during the review meeting on Wednesday chaired by Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar. Tourism Director Ameya Abhyankar and Managing Director of Goa Tourism Development Corporation Nikhil Desai were present.
Goa Airport Director K. S. Rao, Assistant Director and Chief Immigration Officer Arvind Kumar H Nair, President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) Francisco Bragansa and representatives from the FRRO department of the Goa Police were also present.
The TTAG members drew the attention of the Goa airport officials on various issues pertaining to issue of E-Visas and Visas on Arrival (VoA) and made several suggestions that would simplify the process and expedite the issue of this facility to foreign nationals from the 43 countries who have been enlisted for benefit under this system.
Though the VoA and E-Visa facility have just been introduced, foreign nationals are availing of this benefit right away. The Goa airport officials disclosed that so far 375 VoA have been issued. The officials from the Goa airport pointed out that the system is working smoothly, all counters are manned at all times and there is no shortage of staff in handling the counters set up for facilitating issue of VoA at the airport.
The government and industry suggested that sign boards in the foreign languages of Russian, German and others in addition to English be prominently displayed with all data and information, fee structures be provided to passengers availing of the VoA at the airport.
Representatives from the travel and tour industry also suggested for continuation of the Group Landing Permits (GLP) until such time the awareness of the VoA facility is spread across the 43 countries enlisted by the Union Home Ministry.
