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PANAJI: While welcoming the decision of the Union government to ease restrictions on tourist visas that mandated a two-month gap between consecutive visits by foreign nationals to India, the tourist trade in Goa hopes that the Union government will heed Goa’s request to be allowed to issue visas on arrival.

As reported by TOI on Tuesday, the move to ease the two-month waiting period is likely to breathe fresh life into the tourism industry and comes just ahead of the peak tourism season. But the tourism trade in Goa unanimously hopes that the Union government would now include Goa in the list of Indian places where visa on arrival could be issued to visiting tourists.

The chairman of the Goa tourism development corporation (GTDC) Nilesh Cabral described the decision to ease the two-month gap as a "good thing, a good step" but only the first step. Cabral said he is very happy that the government of India has heeded the several requests from Goa government and the Goa tourism trade to ease the restriction. "Now, I hope they consider our request to enable Goa to issue visa on arrival as that would be immensely beneficial to Goa tourism," Cabral said.

Ralph de Souza, spokesperson of the Travel and tourism association of Goa (TTAG) also welcomed the decision. "This is very good. It will start the revival of the depressed markets. We were losing lots of British tourists who were long stayers in Goa. This segment of tourists will come back now," Souza said.

Souza recalled that the TTAG had made several representations to the Union home ministry to remove the two-month restriction. With that gone, he hoped that the Union government also considers the request to allow Goa to issue visa on arrival to foreign tourists. Presently, visa on arrival is only issued in the four metros of Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.

Souza said that this will particularly help Goa to cater to the 80% Finnish tourists who visit Goa. Presently, if they want to avail of visa on arrival, they have to come via Mumbai which adds to their cost. "If we can issue visa on arrival in Goa, the sagging Scandinavian market will be revived," Souza said.

Sita (Goa) vice president Ernest Dias welcomed the decision to ease the two-month waiting period but reacted with caution. "We welcome it, but there is nothing official about it yet. Nobody can show us any document about this," said Dias.

He recalled that there was a similar announcement that visa on arrival would be made possible for tourists from several countries including Russia and Poland. Sita informed their operator in Poland about this but when the facility never materialized, the operator decided to call off his operations. Dias said operators in UK also reacted with skepticism and at least two UK operators called him to confirm the genuineness of the decision.