Government launches electronic visa facility for visitors from 43 countries including US, Germany and Israel. The contribution of tourism in the GDP is approximately 7 per cent and we want to double it up, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh. This move will give a major boost to tourism sector. A visitor from these countries will just have to apply for an e-visa on the designated website and pay the fee online to get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) within 72 hours. Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, UAE, Jordan, Kenya, Fiji, Finland, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Oman and Philippines are among the countries which have got the e-visa facility in the first phase. Currently we have included 43 countries in the first phase. Barring those who are high-risk countries, we will extend this facility to almost every country in the world phase-wise, Singh said. E-visa will be valid for 30 days and a tourist can avail the facility twice a year. With the launch, the e-visa facility has become operational at nine international airports - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Goa.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 18:23:46 +0000