India To Allow Foreign Tourists Travelling By Chartered Flights From Oct 15, Rest From November
There's good news for those wanting to travel to India from abroad. In a move aimed at boosting the economy through tourism, the government has decided to lift the Covid barrier for international travellers by resuming the grant of tourist visas.
India allows foreign tourists
India has decided to allow foreign tourists into the country, beginning with granting tourist visas to those travelling by chartered flights from October 15 and those by regular planes from November 15.
The Union Home Ministry on Thursday announced that with this, the restrictions placed on visa and international travel since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic stand further eased given the present overall pandemic situation.
Govt asks carriers to stick to guidelines
The ministry said in a statement that the decision was taken following consultations with stakeholders like the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Tourism and state governments.
The official said states have been asked to follow Covid protocols laid down by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the tourists, the carriers bringing them into the country and other stakeholders must also stick to the guidelines.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all visas granted to foreigners were suspended last year.Various other restrictions were also imposed on international travel by the central government to arrest the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Visas suspended in wake of the pandemic
After considering the evolving Covid-19 situation, foreigners were later on allowed to avail any kind of Indian visa other than tourist visa for entry and stay in India.
The centre on Thursday said the country's Covid-19 graph was plateauing even though about 20,000 fresh cases were being reported every day. It said the challenge of Covid-19 was not over yet and warned people not to let their guard down during the festive season.?
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