India is a place filled with culture, tradition, and diversity. India’s beauty and wholesomeness captivate many tourists who visit the country for the first time. Still, a sizable portion of the world’s population is unaware of what India has to offer. Therefore, the Indian government initiates the Chalo India campaign to raise understanding of India and encourage people to travel there. During London’s World Travel Mart (WTM), the Indian Ministry of Tourism intends to introduce its Chalo India campaign.
What is The Indian Tourism Ministry’s Chalo India Campaign?
Inspired by the Prime Minister’s vision, the Chalo India Campaign is asking the Indian diaspora to extend an invitation to five friends who are not Indian, on a first-come, first-served basis, to visit India and experience its breathtaking beauty by obtaining a free e-tourist visa.
The goal of Chalo India, a novel effort, is to increase global travel to India by providing free visas to ‘friends’ of diaspora members. A free e-visa would be issued to five foreign people nominated by each Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder via a dedicated portal. According to government authorities, there are over five million OCI card holders, each of whom can nominate up to five individuals, and there are one lakh free e-visas available, as reported by The Indian Express.
OCI cardholders will have access to a dedicated portal where they will need to register and enter the information of their designated friends. Following verification, a special code will be given, enabling the specified friends to receive a complimentary visa.
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India’s Representation At London’s World Travel Mart
The United Kingdom is the third-largest source market for incoming tourists visiting India, with a population of around 1.9 million. The Indian Ministry of Tourism is partnering with 50 stakeholders at WTM London from November 5 to 7 to showcase India’s cultural diversity and diverse tourism products and experiences at the event, including state governments, tour operators, airlines, and hoteliers.
The India pavilion focuses on Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE), Mahakhumbh, and wedding tourism, featuring a mock Mandapam to evoke an Indian wedding. The pavilion was inaugurated by High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Director General Mugdha Sinha in the presence of Tourism Ministers of Telangana, Goa, and Uttarakhand. Of the 9.5 million foreign visitors to India in 2023, 0.92 million came from the United Kingdom.
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So, who are your international friends that you intend to sign up for the Chalo India campaign?
Cover Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons & Canva Pro
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