Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a slew of economic relief measures to help all those sectors badly hit by the deadly second wave of COVID-19 infections in the country.
In a bid to boost the travel and tourism sector, which got severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Finance Minister announced that the central government will issue free tourist visa for 5 lakh tourists.
During a briefing the ministry of finance presentation, she said that 10.93 million foreign tourists visited Indian in 2019, and spent USD 30.098 billion on leisure and business.
Average daily stay for a foreign tourist in India is 21 days while average daily spending is around USD 34 (Rs 2400). “Once visa issuance is restarted, the first five lakh Tourists Visas will be issued free of charge,” the Finance Minister said.
Benefit will be available only once per tourist. The scheme will be applicable till 31st march,2022 or till 5 lakh visas are issued, whichever is earlier. Total financial implication is expected to be Rs 100 crore.
