CHENNAI: The central government’s effort to boost inbound tourism by including more countries under the visa on arrival scheme has paid off.

In December alone, the country saw a 421.6% jump in tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2013.

The government issued 14,083 visas in December 2014 compared with 2,700 visas in December 2013, according to data from the ministry of tourism.

For the year 2014, India saw a 92.4% increase in tourist arrivals compared with the number in 2013. The government issued 39,046 visas under the visa on arrival scheme between January and December 2014, compared with 20,294 visas issues during 2013.

India saw maximum tourist influx from the US (24.26%), followed by Russian Federation (15.06%), Republic of Korea (11.01%), Ukraine (8.16%), Australia (7.98%), New Zealand (5.08%), Japan (4.30%), Singapore (4.27%), Germany (4.05%) and the Philippines (3.10%).

In November last year, the government opened up visa on arrival for 43 countries enabled by Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). Prior to it, the regular visa on arrival scheme had been in operation for 12 countries.

