Delays in Schengen visa appointment prompt Indians to change course to Georgia, Japan
For the third consecutive year, delays in Schengen visa appointments have led Indian travelers preparing for their summer vacations to explore alternative destinations. Industry executives note a growing trend of Indian holidaymakers turning to co...
Schengen visa appointment delays for the third year running have prompted Indian holidaymakers planning their summer getaways to increasingly look for alternative destinations, such as Georgia, Australia and Japan, which have introduced easier visa regimes for travellers from the country, said industry executives.
Georgia's e-visa facility is a case in point. At Thomas Cook (India), demand for Georgia has surged a staggering 600% year-on-year, said Rajeev Kale, president, holidays, at the company.
The travel firm has consequently introduced double departures in several of its group series, he said.
"In combination with Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are also witnessing a significant uptick (around 400%), and we've coupled them with Georgia while also offering standalone options," Kale said. "Locales like Tashkent, Samarkand (Uzbekistan) and Almaty (Kazakhstan) have also witnessed a strong growth of approximately 300% year-on-year."
While Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan offer e-visas to Indian nationals, Kazakhstan allows visa-free stays for up to 14 days.
ET reported on April 24 that delays in visa appointments were continuing for the third successive year for some Schengen countries. The Schengen visa is an entry permit valid for 29 European countries, including popular tourist destinations such as France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The visa must be procured from the country that's the port of entry.
"Australia's simple digital visa has also accelerated our pipeline, which is already up by over 40% year-on-year," said Kale.
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Likewise, online travel firm Agoda recorded a 79% year-on-year increase in searches from India for travel to Japan for travel in May and June. This summer, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Narita and Hiroshima are the most popular destinations in Japan for Indian travellers, based on Agoda's data.
MakeMyTrip has seen a 57% year-on-year increase in searches for Japan this summer, said Saujanya Shrivastava, the company's chief operating officer for flights, holidays and Gulf. "Among the top cities within Japan, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya are of higher interest, with Tokyo alone accounting for two-thirds of all hotel searches and 80% of all flight searches," he said.
During his recent trip to India, Agoda CEO Omri Morgenshtern spoke about the impact of visa policy relaxations. "When the visa process is easy and when the flight capacity is there, we see travel increasing. It's a business of removing friction," he said, and cited the example of Bangkok, which became the most popular destination for Indians on Agoda after Thailand announced a visa waiver.
Thailand announced this month that it has extended a temporary visa exemption for Indian nationals till November 11 this year to boost tourism further.
Yatra Online is seeing "significant" last-minute bookings for international destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, Mauritius, Singapore, Bali and Sri Lanka, said Bharatt Malik, senior vice president for flights and hotel business at the travel firm. In addition, he said, "We have seen a 100% increase in bookings to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan compared to pre-Covid levels."
On Cleartrip, the top international destinations for Indian travellers are Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore, said Gaurav Patwari, vice president for the air category at the company.
SOTC Travel president, leisure travel, Daniel D'souza said the visa process, which includes availability of application slots and processing time, has become a key deciding factor for Indian travellers, especially with the shortening of booking windows this year to 50-60 days for long haul and about 30-40 days for short haul destinations.
"Australia's streamlined electronic visa offers a smooth end-to-end process," D'souza said, adding that as a result the company saw a 40-45% year-on-year increase in Indians travelling to the country.
Travelling to Europe? How to get 5 year Multiple-Entry Schengen Visa
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If you are entering the Schengen Area from a country where there is no visa-free travel agreement, you need to apply for a Schengen visa. The four main Schengen Visa types—A, B, C, and D—are available for these.
The most common kind of Schengen visa, known as a Uniform Schengen Visa, encompasses kinds A, B, and C and allows you to visit any Schengen Zone country once every six months for up to 90 days. It also gives you access to your airport transit visa. If you're traveling to Europe for a short time, you will require this visa.
If you are entering the Schengen Area from a country where there is no visa-free travel agreement, you need to apply for a Schengen visa. The four main Schengen Visa types—A, B, C, and D—are availabl..
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The 26 countries that comprise the Schengen area. The European Union counts 23 of the 27 as members. The remaining four nations make up the Non-European Union nations and are particular members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). These four non-EU nations are Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Switzerland.
The other 23 nations are Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, France, Sweden, Spain and Croatia.
The 26 countries that comprise the Schengen area. The European Union counts 23 of the 27 as members. The remaining four nations make up the Non-European Union nations and are particular members of th..
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The purpose of a Schengen visa is to allow travel through or short-term stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period inside the Schengen area. A visa given by one Schengen state is valid in all other Schengen states; however, you must apply for the visa in the country of your principal destination.
If you plan to visit more than one Schengen country, but none of them will be your primary destination, you must apply for a visa from the region you will enter first.
The purpose of a Schengen visa is to allow travel through or short-term stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period inside the Schengen area. A visa given by one Schengen state is valid in all o..
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The EU Visa Code permits the issuing of multiple-entry visas for multiple visits to Schengen member states; however, the conditions for doing this were not made clear and unambiguous.
The new Visa Code established several conditions that visa holders must meet in order to obtain a Schengen Visa. It became operative on February 2 and is applicable to the foreign embassies, consulates, and visa centers of the Schengen member states.
The EU Visa Code permits the issuing of multiple-entry visas for multiple visits to Schengen member states; however, the conditions for doing this were not made clear and unambiguous.The new Visa Cod..
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One sort of Schengen visa that you can obtain from India to travel to any Schengen country is a 5-year multiple-entry visa. A five-year MEV is available to individuals who have obtained and lawfully utilized a multiple-entry visa in the last three years, which must have been valid for at least two years.
During a five-year period, this visa grants you unrestricted travel into 26 European countries, provided you don't over the 90/180-day limit.
One sort of Schengen visa that you can obtain from India to travel to any Schengen country is a 5-year multiple-entry visa. A five-year MEV is available to individuals who have obtained and lawfully ..
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To be eligible for a multiple-entry or long-term Schengen visa, you must meet the following requirements in addition to often visiting the Schengen Area.
You must provide evidence of why they will require multiple entries into the Schengen Area throughout the next year(s).
You must have a perfect visa record, which means they you never overstayed your visa's duration while in the Schengen Area or worked illegally.
To be eligible for a multiple-entry or long-term Schengen visa, you must meet the following requirements in addition to often visiting the Schengen Area.You must provide evidence of why they will req..
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A 5-year multiple entry Schengen visa costs the same as a conventional short-stay visa, i.e., €80, despite allowing you to make repeated visits totaling less than 90 days during the validity of the visa.
A 5-year multiple entry Schengen visa costs the same as a conventional short-stay visa, i.e., €80, despite allowing you to make repeated visits totaling less than 90 days during the validity of the v..
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