Thiruvananthapuram, April 21 (IANS): The central government has approved the introduction of visa-on-arrival (VoA) service at Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi airports, a minister said Sunday.

"The new facility will allow citizens of 11 countries - Japan, Singapore, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia - to obtain tourist visas upon arrival in Kerala," Kerala Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar said.

He added that the preparations are on to implement the scheme at the two airports.

The minister hoped the new facility would encourage more tourists from these countries to travel to Kerala.

The decision to introduce the visa-on-arrival service at five airports in the country, including Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, was taken at the third meeting of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Tourism, subject to approval from the ministry of home affairs.

According to Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran, the ministry has given the go-ahead to the proposal.

"K.C. Venugopal, minister of state for civil aviation, is leading efforts to put in place the facilities required to implement the visa-on-arrival scheme at the two airports. The groundwork is nearing completion and the service will soon be available for tourists," the Kerala tourism minister said.