New Delhi, Apr 25 (KNN) In a bid to encourage foreign tourist arrivals the government has approved collective landing permits through online application. 

“Foreign tourists in groups of four or more arriving by air or sea and sponsored by Indian travel agencies approved by the Ministry of Tourism and with a pre-drawn itinerary may be granted collective landing permit for a period not exceeding 60 days, with multiple entry facilities to enable them to visit neighbouring countries.  In order to avail of this facility the tourists or travel agencies shall mandatorily fill in an application online,” said an official statement.

Foreigner’s Registration offices at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut, Goa and Lucknow will henceforth accept applications consisting of list of members along with printed visa application and their itinerary 72 hours prior to their arrival by tourists or travel agencies.

Meanwhile Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi has welcomed the simplification of visa procedure for group arrivals.

“This is a move forward and would go a long way towards boosting group travel to India, and would also give a boost to the tourism industry in the country,” he said.

However, tourists or travel agencies will have to give an undertaking to conduct the group as per the itinerary and extend a further assurance that no individual would be allowed to drop out from the group at any place.

The move follows an assurance from Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde that his ministry will further simplify visa procedures. (KNN)