PANJIM: The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry appealed to the Government of India to restore e-Visa to India for citizens of the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan.
In a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, GCCI president Ralph De Sousa stated that as per the current rules issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs, only paper visas are issued to UK citizens which means applicants have to visit the Indian Mission, Embassies and Consulates in-person. This involves additional travel costs for the applicants. Also, the expected lead time for appointments is anywhere upto eight weeks and paper visa processing by Indian missions is also time consuming.
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The uncertainty of finally getting a Visa to India is becoming a dampener for travellers from the UK many of whom are now abandoning their plans to visit India, he said.
If this continues, brand Goa may vanish off the radar of the UK tourists as a favoured tourism destination, De Sousa said.
De Sousa in the letter has pointed out that many international travel agents in Goa are now reporting huge cancellations of group bookings and charter travels to Goa from the UK. Those with visas and booked on charter flights are unable to travel as Charters are being cancelled due to other passengers booked on the flight not getting their visas on time.
Not only is the entire tourism industry in India and Goa losing money, but India is losing valuable foreign exchange, he said.
De Sousa said that for a small State like Goa which is hugely dependent on tourism as a revenue earner and employment generator, this has become all the more critical. Smaller hotels which number about 12,000 in Goa will face the brunt of this closure and will not survive. The problem has been further compounded by e-visas being denied to citizens of Kazakhstan which comprises one of the three largest foreign tourist markets to Goa (three flights a week to Goa), he said, urging Centre’s intervention in this matter to re-commence the e-Visa facility to citizens of the UK and Kazakhstan.
The United Kingdom is amongst the top five countries contributing to tourist footfalls in India and especially to Goa. Goa receives a lot of charter flights which are a huge revenue generator for the State. UK tourists are Goa’s traditional tourism partners and are good spenders. Accommodation from five-star hotels to homestays are utilised to capacity by them.
Post the Covid pandemic, the tourism industry in Goa is looking forward to a fruitful tourist season commencing this month. Hotels from mid-size to five stars have spent huge amounts to upgrade their infrastructure. October to February is the season which especially attracts senior citizens from the UK to Goa due to the cold and unfavourable climate conditions in the UK, the GCCI said.
The copies of the letter have also been sent to the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar; Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and others.
Meanwhile, South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha has urged the Central government to take cognisance of how the recent Visa related decisions are derailing Goa’s tourism industry, which could have far- reaching economic consequences in Goa.
Referring to the cancellation in charter flights to Goa from countries that usually send a large number of tourists annually, Sardinha warned that if the Centre does not take corrective measures soon, the State will have to deal with yet another bleak tourism season.
Pointing out that Goa’s economy used to depend on mining, which has come to a standstill, Sardinha said the tourism is now one of the biggest sectors in the State.
The MP also urged the State government to listen to the demands of the public with regard to the proposed Jetty Policy 2022. On a different note, Sardinha said the government should take steps to legalise regulated sand mining.
