Foreign tourists to be allowed in India from November 15

India will begin granting fresh tourist visas to foreigners who enter the country via chartered flights starting from October 15 . It will also allow foreign tourists to enter the country by flights other than chartered aircraft from November 15 onwards. The government said that the decision was taken based on recommendations from state governments as well as stakeholders from the tourism industry. The stakeholders from the tourism industry highlighted the need of issuing tourist visas to foreign travellers. The home ministry also discussed the issue with state governments who earn revenues from tourism and who expect high footfall from foreigners. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all visas granted to foreigners were suspended last year. Various other restrictions were also imposed on international travel by the Central Government to arrest the spread of the virus. After considering the evolving Covid-19 situation, foreigners were later on allowed to avail any kind of Indian visa other than a Tourist Visa for entry and stay in India.