India Reopening To International Tourists

After closing to the world for over 18 months, the Indian government has begun preparations to reopen the border for international tourism in the coming weeks. 

The news comes as cases continue to fall as the vaccination rates rise nationwide. The pandemic has hit the nation’s tourism economy hard, and the border reopening will be an attempt to revive the aviation, tourism, and hospitality sectors. 

According to reports, top union home ministry officials are deliberating with all stakeholders on the expected date of when the country reopens to foreign tourists. The government expects to make an official announcement in the next 10 days on the date of reopening and the restrictions upon entry. 

The government is proposing a free visa to tourists until March 31st, 2022. Officials stated that they expect the free-visa move to encourage short-term visitors to enter India in the next 6 months. 

The government has suspended the normal E-Visa since March 2020 after India went into a nationwide lockdown due to rising COVID-19 cases. 

The Possible Entry Restrictions 

Although there’s no official confirmation on the entry requirements, the Home Ministry has declared that they are debating whether to exclude unvaccinated travelers from entering India and having a negative list of countries where COVID-19 cases remain very high. 

Furthermore, the officials said the reopening will be a phased reopening, and not a complete reopening at first. There was no mention of whether India may impose a short quarantine on arrival when the country reopens. 

When India sets out its complete guidelines, we will be the first to let you know in the coming days. 

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