The government has extended the facility of e-Tourist Visa for citizens of 161 countries.
Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma indicated the number of foreign tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) during January to November this year was 9,17,446.
The sector is registering a growth of 168.5 per cent over same period of previous year.
The Government of India has extended the facility of e-Tourist Visa for the citizens of 161 countries including Japan for which facility of Visa on Arrival is also available
The e-visa scheme was launched on November 27, 2014.
Under the scheme, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India after it has been approved. The tourist can travel with a print-out of this authorisation.
On 27 November 2014, the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) facility became operational for citizens of over 40 eligible countries, including those who are eligible for visa on arrival.
The list was further expanded to 113 countries in August 2015 .
ETA is issued for tourism, visiting friends and family, short duration medical treatment and business visits.
The scheme was renamed to e-Tourist Visa (eTV) on 15 April 2015.
