India starts accepting foreign tourists after 1 and half years

India opened up to fully-vaccinated foreign tourists -- on board commercial flights -- from today after a 19-month shutdown, raising the hopes of a hospitality industry badly battered by Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier, India opened its borders to foreign tourists, who have taken both doses of Covid-19 vaccines and travelled by chartered flights or in flights under the air bubble agreements with different countries, from October 15.

But it is from today that fully-jabbed foreign tourists entering India by commercial flights are able to do so on fresh tourist visas.

On November 9, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Vikram Kumar Doraiswami, said that India will start issuing visas for Bangladeshi tourists from November 15, but they must travel by air.

The reopening of the country to foreign tourists came as India's daily cases of the infections continued its downward trajectory and the number of vaccines surged to more than 1.24 billion.

After a devastating second wave of Covid infections in March-April, India's vaccination rates have picked up and the number of cases remains at a low level. More than 30 percent of the eligible 94 crore adult population has been fully vaccinated so far.

Read more: India to start issuing tourist visa for Bangladeshi air travellers from Nov 15: Doraiswami

According to official data, international travellers before Covid-19 outbreak brought in an estimated USD 30 billion in foreign exchange in 2019 but after the pandemic struck leading to lockdowns, the figure plummeted by over 76 percent to around USD seven billion in 2020.

Less than 30 lakh foreign tourists had visited India in 2020, a decline of almost 75 percent compared to 2019. The government plans to issue 500,000 free visas to boost tourism by encouraging short-visitors, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

The travel and tourism industry in India is looking to opening up on time for the Christmas and New Year season amidst optimism about business gathering pace after months of gloom.

"Even though Covid is not over, we are eager to have tourists back, while following all Covid-19 safety protocols," said the owner of a leading tour operator in New Delhi's upscale market district Connaught Place. 

"But the revival of the hospitality industry is going to take time. A full return to normal business in travel and tourism sector could take anywhere between two to three years," he said.

While big chains of hotels have managed to survive, it has been much tougher for budget hotels across the country.