India Tourism celebrates e-visa program

India Tourism Toronto officially marked the launch of the country’s new e-visa for Canadian travellers, which will simplify the application process and potentially result in increased travel to the destination.

Agents and tour operators selling India travel joined representatives from the tourism office for the celebration last night. The e-visa, which was announced in May, will allow Canadians to apply for the document online by uploading their photo and relevant passport pages and pay by credit card. A copy of the visa will then be sent by email, which travellers can then print out and bring on their trip. The visa is valid for 30 days.

Anil Oraw, director of India Tourism Toronto, told PAX that prior to the e-visa, travellers were limited to applying at the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, the two consulates in Toronto and Vancouver, or through the offices of BLS International (which handles Indian passports and visa) located in various cities across Canada. The new program will reach potential travellers outside of major urban centres, while simplifying the overall process, Oraw said.

“Any Canadian traveller can sit at home and get their visa for India,” he said. “They can apply, pay and get travel authorization online and pack up and go. At the airport they will stamp the passport. Canada’s a big country and we don’t have consulates everywhere, so this is our effort to reach people all across Canada.”

According to Oraw, the reaction from the travel industry has been overwhelmingly positive.

“When this was announced in May, the trade was waiting for this,” he said. “All the industry players are very happy. People are learning more about it and it’s our job to let everyone know."

Vibhor Chhabra, director of Grand Travel Planners in Toronto, was among the travel professionals attending the event who applauded the new program, while adding that he was hoping to see a visa that would be valid for more than 30 days. Later in the evening, Oraw said that with enough support from the travel industry, he would also like to see an extended e-visa.

“It’s a very good initiative and tourists to India will benefit,” Chhabra said. “It’s a 30-day visa and I was expecting 60 or 90 days. Students typically go for more than a month and I’d like to make the suggestion to increase it.”

In addition to leisure travel, Oraw said that the tourism office is actively promoting India’s MICE travel segment this year, citing increased business links between the two countries.

“MICE is not so big yet, but people are going,” he said. “The business traffic is there between India and Canada.”

The e-visa application form, along with a full list of eligibility conditions, is available here.

PHOTO: Aloka Oraw; Reshma Contractor, Travelpack; Anil Oraw, director, India Tourism Toronto; Anubhav Gupta, director, Sharp Travels India.