Visa On Arrival Will Bring 'Achche Din' For Goa Tourism

PANAJI: 'Achche din'  are here for Goa's travel and tourism industry, stakeholders claim, rubbing their hands in glee at the inclusion of Goa's Dabolim international airport as one the nine nationwide authorized to issue visa-on-arrival (VoA) to foreign tourists.

Francisco Braganca, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), calls the VoA facility a "great boon", although a bit belated.

"It will be a great boon to tourism specially in Russian and eastern European markets, where the decision to travel is belated and distances are huge to travel to obtain the visas," Braganca, whose TTAG is a collective of travel and tourism industry stakeholders operating in Goa, told IANS.

He expressed disappointment that countries like Britain and Sweden were not included in the list of 43 countries whose nationals have been cleared by the central government for granting VoA.

"I believe they will be included in the second installment of countries to be included in the list. As regards countries like Britain, there is need to reduce the visa cost for e-visas and visa on arrival, as the cost of an Indian visa to India, which is about 100 pounds (9,700) is a deterrent for British families travelling into Goa," Braganca said.

After Russia, British nationals account for the second biggest contingent of foreign tourists who land in Goa annually and high visa fees are a big deterrent.