PTI
 
New Delhi, Oct 19: Keen to boost tourist arrivals in the country, the Centre is set to introduce long-term visas with multiple entry point facility with as many as 16 countries.

The proposal envisaging issuance of long-term visas along with multiple entry point to make the travel process less cumbersome for foreign tourists has been accepted by the Ministries of Home and External Affairs, Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni told reporters here on Wednesday.

"The visa, which will be for a five-year period, will help in increasing the number of tourists visiting India. While we will give the facility to 16 countries to begin with, it may be expanded to other countries," Soni told a press conference.

However, due to security reasons, countries like the US, the UK and Pakistan are out of the tentative list of 16 countries that will be accorded the facility, sources said.

But they said there could a rethink on the exclusion of the US and the UK, to which a major chunk of tourist arrivals can be attributed.

Soni informed that the Ministry of External Affairs has written to the missions abroad to strengthen the visa operations and even outsource it if needed and visas should be provided in no more than 36 hours. Meanwhile, the proposal for Visa on Arrival has still not been cleared by the Home Ministry due to security apprehensions, Soni said.

However, she said there was a strong case for India permitting Visa on Arrival, with three countries in the neighbourhood -- Pakistan, Singapore and Malaysia -- allowing it.

Soni also said advance passenger information, which has been started on Air India flights to Delhi, should be started on all flights to all Indian metros to make it easier for giving Visa on Arrival.