INDIA today announced it will extend visas on arrival (VoAs) to 180 countries and implement an online system for visa issuance in a major initiative to liberalise its visa regime.

The VoA facility will be initially rolled out at nine airports including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, Goa and Trivandrum, in time for the peak travel season in October.

India will simultaneously launch a new electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system, allowing travellers to apply for and print out travel authorisation within five days. Travellers need only produce the document upon reaching India to receive a VoA.

Only nationals from 11 countries are currently allowed VoAs in India. In the future, only eight countries will be barred from the scheme, namely Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria and Somalia. China will be removed from the list should the country reciprocate with a similar facility for Indians.

Calling the announcement the “best move so far to liberalise (India’s) visa system”, Sarabjit Singh, senior vice president, Indian Association of Tour Operators, said: “We were losing tourist arrivals as our visa regime was restrictive. This will open the floodgates of tourists and help us develop new markets. ETA will help frequent flier tourists who don’t have time to visit embassies and wait for long for visa processing,” he said.

Ranjan Kumar Mishra, managing director, Eastern Voyage, expects a surge in arrivals for the coming season as a result. “States like Odisha that receive limited number of tourists will also gain as tourist arrivals in the country increase.”

Similarly, Neelu Singh, COO of Ezeego1.com, pointed to the importance of VoA for inbound tourism to India. “Last year the number of foreign tourists who availed of VoAs increased by 26.2 per cent as compared to 2012, which only signals the importance of introducing this facility.”

“The next two years will be a game changer for India’s tourism sector, with foreign tourist arrivals expected to cross the eight million mark by 2015. With visa norms being relaxed and VoAs made available (eventually) at 26 major airports…tourists can plan a trip to India on shorter notice,” she said.

Additional reports from Rohit Kaul.

THE Mergui Archipelago could become Myanmar’s next major frontier for tourism development should the government approve a local company’s development proposal.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Kyaw Myo Paing, manager of Myeik Public Corporation, said: “We are targeting four islands, namely, either Koonthee island or Kabuzar island, Ashae Sunar island, La Ngang island and Tanintharyi island. Each island will include a bungalow-type hotel, guesthouses, shops, a theme park, golf course, swimming pool and boat services. The project is scheduled (for construction) within the financial years of 2014 to 2018.”

The Mergui Archipelago is a constellation of over 800 islands in the Andaman Sea in south Myanmar. The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism last August and is awaiting approval from relevant ministries.

He added that Myeik has not decided whether to open the project to foreign or local investors.

The company hopes the development will become a source of employment for locals and attract more tourists to the region, remarked Kyaw Myo Paing.

Ko Aye Min Oo, managing director of Tourism Myanmar Co-operative, which runs trips to the archipelago, welcomed the news as “Mergui is unique and untouched by many tourists”.

“I heard several (other) investors, including local and foreign, are looking into the areas to develop island resorts. But my main concern is the developers should understand the value of nature even as they earn money from it, and also should support the people living in the region,” he opined.

LANGKAWI and South Korea’s Nami Island have come together again to hold Culturally Nami @ Naturally Langkawi 2014, an event that promises both cultural showcases and green activities.

Themed Let’s Recycle, the event will be held from February 7 to 11 at Laman Padi, Chenang, Langkawi, and run daily from 11.00 to 21.00. The inaugural event, Langkawi Naminara Cultural Festival, was held in 2012.

Visitors can expect green exhibitions, cultural shows and performances including dikir baratand wayang kulit, local craft demonstrations, and food demonstrations that will highlight Malaysian hawker fare and Korean kimchi.

Culturally Nami @ Naturally Langkawi is supported by LADA-Eco Tourism, Panorama Langkawi, Underwater World Langkawi, Tropical Charters Langkawi Cruises, Crocodile Adventureland, Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa, Aseania Resort Langkawi, Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort and Four Points by Sheraton.

COST control remains the top priority for some 70 per cent of corporate travel managers worldwide, according to Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s (CWT) sixth annual Travel Management Priorities report.

In this report, “driving growth in online adoption” came in second with 55 per cent of the vote, followed by “optimising end-to-end travel processes” at 54 per cent.

While the survey polled some 970 travel managers worldwide, results resonated in Asia-Pacific where 73 per cent of respondents are looking for innovative savings, 63 per cent want to optimise end-to-end travel processes and 55 per cent aim to improve online adoption.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Mike Orchard, senior director, CWT Solutions Group, Asia-Pacific, said: “One of the rising costs in traveller spending is mobile connectivity. Every corporate traveller today owns multiple devices, from a smartphone to a tablet and a laptop, and there are huge costs involved to…stay connected.”

Orchard suggested that corporates either negotiate with a telecommunications company or ensure travellers utilise the Wi-Fi connection whenever available to optimise savings.

He said: “There are many companies who will encourage the employees to use Wi-Fi instead of data but no policies are enforced if they do otherwise.”

David Moran, executive vice president of global marketing & enterprise strategy, CWT, said: “Identifying savings is still the top priority for travel managers across the globe.

“However, the greater focus on traveller experience marks a fresh, positive chapter for the industry. We are working on new, innovative ways to help travel managers achieve their money-saving objectives,” he added.

SWITZERLAND Tourism has set its sights on young travellers to achieve 10 per cent growth in arrivals from India in 2014 after two years of stagnant tourism figures.

Ritu Sharma, deputy director for India, commented: “2012 and 2013 have not been great years for us because of factors like the rupee depreciation and slowdown in the economy.”

“We are looking to tap the youth segment who likes to travel on their own and are looking for new experiences, new destinations, different cuisines and adventure to meet our target,” she added.

The NTO experienced modest two per cent growth in Indian arrivals over the last two years and a significant eight per cent drop in May 2013. Full-year arrivals for 2013 stood at 511,000 and the target is for 565,000 arrivals this year.

“With India scheduled to go for elections later this year, we are expecting strong growth in numbers from the third week of May. After the 2009 polls we experienced double-digit growth in tourist arrivals,” said Stephan Heuberger, director for India, Switzerland Tourism.

This year, Switzerland Tourism will carry out consumer outreach programmes, e-marketing, and advertising campaigns in electronic and print media. It will also reach out to smaller travel agencies in non-metro Indian cities through training programmes.

KOREAN Air will launch inaugural, non-stop flights between Seoul (Incheon) and Houston on May 2.

The four-times-weekly service will run on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft deployed on the route.

John Jackson, vice president of marketing for North and South America, Korean Air, said: “We’re very bullish on the Americas…Houston is the fifth largest metro area in the US with a very strong travel market to Asia.”

He added: “We see continued opportunities in the Americas through our own efforts and through our membership in the SkyTeam alliance. And we’ll add more capacity in a variety of other US markets during the upcoming spring and summer seasons.”

Houston is Korean Air’s 14^th destination in the Americas after Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC.

ACCOLADES are pouring in for Joop Ave, Indonesia’s former minister of tourism, post and telecommunications, who passed away yesterday.

Ave died at the age of 79 after battling illness for the last few years.

Although he held the post of minister of tourism, post and telecommunications between 1993 and 1997, his dedication towards developing tourism in Indonesia began when he became director general of tourism in 1982.

Not only did Ave build up the country’s tourism industry to make it the top revenue generator in the 1990s, he was also instrumental in placing Indonesia on the international map through his involvement in various international organisations such as PATA and ICCA.

Iwata Nusantara Tours & Travel commissioner, Meity Robot, said: “Pak Joop introduced me to PATA and I became a member of PATA. He brought the organisation to the country and started the Indonesia Chapter.”

Former Indonesia Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) chairman, Tuti Sunario, said: “He was always inspiring, motivational and a great team builder. He put together and led the government, private sector (and media) as a team in tourism development. ITPB, the government-private sector cooperation in tourism promotion, was his brainchild. Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo, which still runs up to now, was also his idea.”

Ave is also credited with altering public perceptions of women in travel and was the patron of the Indonesian Women in Travel. Citra Netratama Tours and Travel president director, Herna Danuningrat, recalled: “In those days, society looked down on women working in the tourism industry as tourism was considered immoral. Pak Joop brought change.”

Panorama Group’s CEO, Budi Tirtawisata, said: “I have actually been following Pak Joop’s role in tourism since my father’s time, but really got a chance to meet and know him in person two years ago, when he attended and gave the keynote address at our annual management conference.

“He said Panorama should not be content by becoming a tiger in the country, but must become a regional or global player. This really inspired us and we decided to go global because of him.”

The wake begins this evening at Kerta Semadi Funeral Home, Jalan Kargo, Denpasar, Bali and the cremation will take place on Saturday at Mumbul. A memorial service will be held on Friday at 19.00 at Kerta Semadi.