The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the Port Blair seaport in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as an authorised Integrated Check Post (ICP) for entry of foreign nationals holding an electronic visa (e-visa), an official has confirmed.
Apart from Port Blair, now anyone holding an e-visa will be allowed to enter India at five other major seaports including Mumbai, Cochin in Kerala, Mormugao in Goa, Chennai in Tamil Nadu and New Mangalore in Karnataka, the order said.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands tourism secretary Vishwendra said, “Ideally, October to May would be the best time for yacht chartering in the archipelago because of its tropical climate. The sea is calm during these months, which will make it the best time to visit for yacht charters.”
The former chief port administrator at the Port Management Board and Special Secretary (Home) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Prashant Kumar, said that all the parameters, future prospects and convenience of foreign guests were examined, after which the e-visa entry got a green signal from the MHA.
The director general of police in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Devesh Chandra Srivastva, has welcomed the decision taken by the central government. He said, “This will boost yacht tourism in this region and also bring Andaman and Nicobar to the global tourism map.”
Many tour operators feel that besides the e-visa entry for foreigners, the news will also attract many Indian travellers and businesspeople who are interested in yacht charting and adventure tourism.
The president of the Federation of Responsible Tour Operators (FORTO), R Ratnam, and the president of the Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO), M Vinod—who works closely with the authorities to make the Andamans a yacht and cruise-friendly destination—called for the maximum participation of all tourism stakeholders to make the archipelago a perfect destination for yacht chartering.
They said, “Introducing an e-visa at Port Blair seaport opens up many opportunities for yacht tourism. Earlier, cruise and yacht traffic [that] crossed near [the] Andaman and Nicobar Islands in international waters [were] unable to call (touch) due to visa restrictions for foreigners. Now with the introduction of the e-visa, foreign travellers can easily come to this beautiful archipelago. We are sure this will bring direct and indirect revenue to the islands in terms of foreign exchange.”
Recently, a delegation of AATO participated in the India International Travel Mart, Bengaluru, to promote yacht tourism in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, other travel agents feel that yacht tourism can only be possible in the islands if the central government lowers the import tax of yachts which is now roughly around 50 per cent.
(With inputs from PTI)