Visa-on-Arrival and E-Visa expansion for key nations

The Ministry of Tourism announced Visa-on-Arrival is now available for nationals of Japan, South Korea, and the UAE for tourism, business, conference, and medical purposes, allowing for a 60-day stay with double entry through six designated airports. Additionally, an E-Visa facility with Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is accessible to nationals from 167 countries at 30 international airports and six major seaports.

The Ministry has also established tourist police in collaboration with 15 state governments/UT administrations and launched a 24x7 Multi-Lingual Tourist Info-Helpline to assist travellers in India.

Furthermore, initiated in 2014-15, the Swadesh Darshan scheme has funded 76 projects for tourism infrastructure development, totalling Rs 5,287.90 crore, with Rs 4,944.47 crore already released. This scheme has been revamped to Swadesh Darshan 2.0 to promote sustainable tourism.

The National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) has also been launched, with Rs 1,621.14 crore sanctioned and Rs 1,024.18 crore released for the integrated development of pilgrimage destinations.