India to outsource visas

India is trying to increase its tourism with South Africa.  Ambika Soni, the Tourism and Culture Minister in India said "Tourism between India and South Africa is growing, but I want it to grow faster."  Some tourists in South Africa planning trips to India are being faced with visa delays.  In order to overcome this obstacle, India intends to outsource their visa program.

Minister Soni went on to say "My vision is that within 48 hours, anyone wanting to visit India must get a visa. Since 2006 there has been a focus on India, resulting in us developing new tourism products, making it more exciting for both types of travelers - the backpacker and the higher end tourist.

"We now have not only tourists on pilgrimage or who come to India to visit family, like many South Africans do, but also rural tourism, shopping tourism, and what is very, very popular is our Ayurvedic tourism. For the West Asian market, we are even developing monsoon tourism, so we are promoting India as a 365 days tourism destination."

A program of cooperation was signed between Soni and Pallo Jordan who is Soni's equivalent in India.  The program was put in place to unite fields such as literature, handicrafts, and music. 

Soni spoke from a cultural event to mark India's 62^nd year of Independence.  At the celebration a group performed a devotional song by Mahatma Gandhi.  Soni said of the interpretation "I don't know how people who are devout singers of Gandhi's bhajans would take to that, but that's how you make people, ideologies, and value systems relevant to the younger generation; otherwise you would shut them out altogether."

https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com