The Hindu Business Line : GoM moots visa-on-arrival for select countries

IN order to encourage tourist inflow, the Group of Ministers on Tourism Industry and Trade has recommended visa-on-arrival for selected countries on an experimental basis in Delhi and Mumbai.

The group has also recommended increase in air seat capacity to key source tourism markets for India and allowing foreign airlines to operate during the peak period without any commercial agreements, according to an official release.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Minister for Human Resource Development, Mr Arjun Singh.

Aiming to augment accommodation capacity in the country, the group has decided to set up a taskforce that will consider allowing setting up of hotels on land allotted on lease basis, private land and on land located within a periphery of four km of international airports.

The hotels, to be set up with public-private partnership, will help meet the growing demand for rooms in the metros.

The taskforce will have representatives from the Railways, Civil Aviation, Urban Development and Tourism ministries besides Delhi Development Authority, Planning Commission, Finance Corporation of India and the tourism industry.

Moreover, the group has decided to set up Immigration Facilitation Group soon for effecting improvements in the immigration functions at the international airports, the release added.

The group consists of the Minister of State for Tourism, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, the Minister for Culture and Information & Broadcasting, the Minister for Commerce and Industry, the Minister for Civil Aviation, the Minister for Overseas Industry and the Minister of State for urban Poverty Alleviation.

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