Sample of a visa (File photo)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a study on how the government can establish faster e-visa transactions for Indians.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Thursday said Marcos made the directive during the 6th meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Tourism Sector Group in Malacañang on Wednesday.
The president noted in the meeting that faster e-visa processing for Indians would help boost tourism in the country.
“We don’t have any such issues [with India]. So, I’m sure we can use their system,” Marcos said, as quoted by the PCO in a statement.
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According to LT Group President Lucia Tan, Indians continue to be required to make a personal appearance before the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, even under the e-Visa system.
This means e-visa processing for Indian tourists can take around a month.
“In view of that, we recommend engaging in third party service provider that will establish, run and maintain the e-Visa system under the guidance of the relevant government agencies,” Tan recommended to Marcos during the meeting.
“This will ensure that the program is consistently monitored and that any challenges in the process and the system will be immediately [addressed],” he said.
“This will likewise streamline the application process and, thus, generate more applications due to the [expedited] process,” he added.
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The current e-Visa system for Indians is still in beta testing and is piloted only for walk-in clients of the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, said the PCO.
Meanwhile, the PSAC Tourism Sector Group noted that Indians are “repeat visitors” who spend an average of eight nights and spend $100 per person per day in the Philippines.
78 percent of them stay in hotels.
Furthermore, the group said India is projected to help outbound trips in the country reach 30 million by 2025.