Palace wants better e-visa system for Indian tourists

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Citing the need to make the Philippines more accessible to travelers, President Marcos has directed government agencies to implement a streamlined e-Visa system for Indian nationals wanting to visit the country.

He gave the directive in his meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council’s (PSAC) Tourism Sector Group in Malacañang on Wednesday.

In posts on his Facebook and Instagram pages, the President also highlighted the government’s collaboration with the PSAC to improve tourist arrivals in the country.

Beta phase

The Philippine e-Visa system allows foreign nationals to apply for an e-Visa online, although the issuing embassy or consulate may still require their personal appearance for an interview.

So far, the e-Visa system is in its beta phase and is being pilot-tested only for walk-in clients of the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, India.

READ: DOT eyes more e-visas for tourists from China, India

Businessman Lucio Tan, LT Group president and chief executive officer, however, observed that requiring Indian nationals to personally appear before the Philippine Embassy reduces the efficiency of the e-Visa system.

Tan, a member of the PSAC’s Tourism Sector Group who attended Wednesday’s meeting, added that the processing time for e-Visas could take around a month, making the country a less appealing destination.

He recommended instead that the government hire third-party service providers to establish, run, and maintain the e-Visa system under the guidance of government agencies.

“This will ensure that the program is consistently monitored and that any challenges in the process and the system will be immediately addressed. This will likewise streamline the application process and thus generate more applications due to the expedited process,” Tan said.

The website of the Indian Embassy in Manila said that around 120,000 Indian nationals visit the Philippines annually while there are 130,000 of them in the country.

The PSAC’s Tourism Sector Group stressed the need to improve the e-Visa system for Indian nationals as they boost the tourism industry, with many of them “repeat visitors” who spend an average of eight nights per visit and spend $100 per person daily.

Around 78 percent of them stay in hotels here and their activities include business investments, shopping, sightseeing, going to the beach, diving, and visiting friends and relatives.

READ: PH will first implement e-visa system for Chinese, Indian tourists