India plans to extend Visa-on-Arrival scheme

India plans to extend its Visa-on-Arrival facility to tourists from 40 more countries. These countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Australia, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The Planning Commission has called a high-level meeting of different ministries and National Security Advisor to deliberate on the feasibility of the move. “We have called a meeting on 7 October (today) to discuss the possibility of extending tourist visa for 40 more countries as this could help in garnering more foreign exchange and containing the current account deficit,” Rajeev Shukla, planning minister for India told the Press Trust of India. “Tourism Ministry has raised the issue of tourist visa regime as impediment in the growth of foreign visitors in the country which ultimately results in lesser foreign exchange earnings,” Shukla added. The other countries for which this facility could be extended include Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Poland, Norway, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Israel, Mauritius, Czech Republic, Oman, Argentina and Kazakhstan. source: Travel Daily India, 07 OCT 2013