'Smart visas key to growth for tourism'

Initiatives such as smart visas and a strategic focus on destination marketing campaigns such as Incredible India play a vital role in attracting a greater number of global tourists to India, said Julia Simpson, president of World Travel and Tourism Council.

- Varuni Khosla

NEW DELHI: Speaking at a G20 event in Goa, Simpson said visa backlogs present a significant hurdle resulting in extensive waiting periods spanning 200 days to a year for certain destinations. “Paper visas should be a thing of the past. India is moving quickly in the e-visas space but it can move faster towards smart QR-coded visas like the ones used by Dubai. Also, destination marketing campaigns (Incredible India) are very critical to any country which looks at more visitors. It is a proven fact that countries are competing with each other and those having good destination marketing campaigns, do better," she told Mint over a video call.