India extends VOA to four more countries

India had already started offering its VOA facility in January this year to tourists from Japan, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore.

From January to September, some 4,493 visas were issued under this scheme, with Singaporean visitors accounting for the largest share.

At the 8th India-ASEAN summit in Hanoi last week, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said there had been a substantial increase in people-to-people exchanges as a result of better air connectivity between India and ASEAN in recent years, but this was still “well below the potential”.

More than three million Indian tourists visit ASEAN every year and about 380 flights connect Indian and ASEAN cities every week.

In a nod to closer ties, ASEAN will soon establish a promotional chapter for tourism in Mumbai.

(Sources: Hanoi, TTGAsia)