Visa Applications by Indians Increase by 13 Per Cent in 2018, Sees Significant growth of Travellers From Tier-II Cities
It seems like foreign countries are attracting Indians, especially from the non-metro cities. According to the VFS Global data, it has processed 52.8 lakh visa applications in 2018, which has seen a growth of 13 per cent from the previous year.
New Delhi, February 15: It seems like foreign countries are attracting Indians, especially from the non-metro cities. According to the VFS Global data, the agency has processed 52.8 lakh visa applications in 2018, which has seen a growth of 13 per cent from the previous year. The non-metro cities have significantly contributed to the growth. While Tier 1 cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Bengaluru grew consistently. New H-1B Visa Filing Rule to Give Priority to Workers with Advanced Degrees from US.
With this consistency in growth, foreign travel is no longer considered as a luxury privilege by few. Most of the growth comes from smaller cities. Jalandhar has seen maximum growth of 66 per cent compared to the previous year, the list is followed by Chandigarh 54 per cent, Goa 45 per cent and Pondicherry 43 per cent respectively. 18.78 Lakh Foreigners Visited India on E-visa within First 10 Months of 2018, Set New Record.
Indians are now also exploring the off-beat destination. The significant increase in visa applications is seen for countries like the Czech Republic, Estonia, Japan and Turkey. While the maximum visa applications received in 2018 were for countries like Canada, Malaysia, US, UK and Thailand.
According to Union tourism ministry data, the number of Indians going to foreign countries has been on increase for two decades. In 2000, just 44.2 lakh Indians travelled out of the country. In 2017, this number was increased to 2.4 crores.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2019 10:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).