NEW DELHI: India on Monday opened to foreign tourists from countries with reciprocal agreements after a 20-month ban because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tour operators said, however, that demand was extremely sluggish due to high ticket prices and remaining restrictions on travellers from Britain, China and elsewhere.
The country famous for the Taj Mahal, desert palaces and tiger reserves barred all foreign tourists in March 2020 as the pandemic intensified.
But after a devastating spike in Covid-19 cases earlier this year, the number of known infections has fallen sharply and the government, under pressure from an industry that is an important pillar of the economy, last month announced a loosening.
Tourist visas were issued for fully vaccinated foreigners from countries with reciprocal arrangements arriving on charter flights from October 15.
This was widened to include other flights on Monday.
Visitors from the approved countries can acquire a tourist visa online and need only monitor their health for 14 days after arrival.
But those from Britain, the European Union, China, Brazil, South Africa and elsewhere are subject to additional measures including Covid tests on arrival. The first half a million visas were also free.
Rajeev Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, said that arrivals were expected to reach only around five percent of pre-pandemic levels in the coming months.
“We are getting inquiries and we are giving them quotations but when they see expensive airfares, they tell us will try and come later,” Mehra said. “If things remain stable globally, we expect a full house during October 2022 season.”
Goa, a popular tourist destination in southern India, will see its first charter flight from Britain land on December 13, the Times of India reported in late October.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court told authorities on Monday to shut offices in the capital and nearby cities, allowing millions to work from home as officials seek ways to reduce hazardous air pollution that led to the closure of schools.
Its action came after city authorities in New Delhi, which has been battling a toxic haze since early November, took emergency measures on Saturday, ordering the closure of schools and building work for four days.
“We direct the centre and states of the national capital region to impose work from home for the meantime,” said Chief Justice N V Ramana, head of a panel of three judges considering a petition by a city resident.
The court also sought urgent steps to rein in crop waste fires in the neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, set by hundreds of thousands of farmers looking to clear fields for a new sowing season.
“We want action on the issue,” said Justice Surya Kant. Although the court did not set a deadline for the action by authorities, it will next take up the pollution issue on Wednesday. – Reuters
