New Delhi should consider on-arrival visa to Bangladeshis

India should consider issuing on-arrival visas to Bangladesh nationals, given Bangladesh's sustained economic growth, the emergence of a burgeoning upper-middle class and middle class and the challenges faced by patients seeking medical treatment in neighboring countries, according to politicians, diplomats, business leaders and policymakers.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi tourists (22.27 per cent) retained the top position in neighbouring India during the January-December period of 2023, followed by the United States (17.79 per cent), the UK (9.68 per cent), Canada (9.68 per cent) and Australia (4.05 per cent, according to the data of the Tourism Ministry of the government of India.

Bangladeshi tourist arrivals in India in 2023 posted over 60 per cent growth the previous year 2022 as some 20,56,880 Bangladeshi tourists arrived in the neighboring country in 2023 as compared to some 12,55,960 Bangladesh tourists in 2022.

Foreign tourists arrivals (FTA) during the period of January- December, 2023 were 92,36,108 as compared to 64,37,467 in January-December 2022 and 1,09,30,355 in January-December, 2019 registering a growth of 43.5% and -15.5% with respect to 2022 and 2019 respectively.

Besides tourists, several thousand Bangladeshi students are pursuing higher education, in elementary schools and several lakh to get better treatment in different part of India.

India’s inbound tourism sector is experiencing a significant rebound, with foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in 2023 surging 64 per cent compared with 2022. This translates to 92,36,108 visitors between January and December 2023, compared with 64,37,467 in the same period of the previous year. However, despite this impressive growth, the sector remains 15.5 per cent below pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism’s data.

The Financial Earnings from Expenditure (FEEs) during January-December 2023 stood at ₹2,31,927 crore, reflecting a substantial 65.74 per cent growth from the previous year. In terms of US dollars, FEEs reached $28.077 billion, demonstrating a robust 59.43 per cent growth, albeit showing a decline of -8.61 per cent compared with 2019.

The percentage share of foreign tourist arrivals in India during January- December, 2022 among the top 15 source countries was the highest from USA (22.19%), followed by Bangladesh (20.29%), UK (9.98%), Australia (5.96%), Canada (4.48%), Sri Lanka (2.87%), Nepal (2.19%), Germany (2.01%), Singapore (1.89%), Malaysia (1.88%), France (1.79%), Russian Federation (1.54%), Maldives (1.14%), Portugal (1.10%), & Italy (0.97%).

As far as the tourism is concerned, the year 2019 was a notable year for India as it witnessed more than 10.93 million tourist arrivals. India's rank in terms of FEE during the year 2019 was 12th in the world. Moreover, India stands at 6th position in tourism receipts within the Asia & Pacific region.

Bangladesh retained the top position with 2.26 million (21.37%), followed by United States 1.46 million (13.80 per cent), the United Kingdom 1.03 million (9.75 per cent),. Sri Lanka 0.35 million (3.35 per cent), Canada 0.35 million (3.32 per cent), Australia 0.34 million (3.28%), Malaysia 0.32 million (3.02%), China 0.28 million (2.67%), Germany 0.27 million (2.60%), Russian Fed 0.26 million (2.48%), France 0.26 million (2.48%), Japan 0.24 million, (2.24%), Singapore 0.18 million, (1.74%), Nepal 0.17 million (1.65%), Thailand 0.16 million (1.58%)
Experts predict continued growth in the inbound tourism sector, with Virendra Jain, co-founder and CEO of VIDEC Consultants, expressing optimism for 2024. Virendra Jain, co-founder and CEO of VIDEC Consultants said, “While outbound travel has almost restored to its pre-pandemic highs, inbound travel is expected to consolidate its recovery next year, according to the Indian newspapers, accosting to media reports.

Riding on the back of unflinching consumer demand, this year has been fantastic for the India travel story, and has created a solid underpinning for optimistic outlook for the future. India - the future beckons.”

According to the Henley Passport Index, a Bangladeshi passport entitles visa-free travel to 42 destinations.

An analysis of the purpose of visits reveals a shift towards business and professional travel during December 2023, comprising 10.28 per cent of arrivals compared with 20 per cent for the entire year.

Conversely, medical tourism, which constituted a significant portion (45.73 per cent) of arrivals in December, saw a decrease in its share compared with the full year (26.52 per cent). Sources said campaign in social media perhaps leads to drop in medical tourism in neighboring country.

On the other hand, India is considering to issue on-arrival visas for Bangladesh nationals, said Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Kumar Verma said in a meeting with Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruque Khan at his office at the secretariat in Dhaka recently.
He said that the High Commission of India had issued some 16 lakh visas in favour of Bangladesh citizens last years. It is increasing day by day. "We have raised our capability to issue visas in favour of Bangladeshis in time. New Delhi is also considering to issue non-arrival visas to Bangladesh nationals in future."

The Indian high commissioner said several Indian entrepreneurs showed keen interest to invest in Bangladesh's tourism industry.

"Especially India is interested in establishing air connectivity among India's North-Eastern states and Bangladesh", said the high commissioner.

A top leader of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) while talking to this correspondent said that High Commission of India should increase the manpower and ease sufferings of thousands of Bangladeshi visa seekers.

A Bangladeshi visa seeker has to stand in long queue with the India Visa Application Centre at the Jamuna Future Park to deposit his or her visa application form.

An inter-ministerial meeting gathered opinions and recommendations from relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Secondary and Higher Education, and the Ministry of Shipping.

Following the meeting, the finalised proposal will be sent to the Indian side through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, initiating a mutual exchange of opinions before the agreement is renewed.
One of the significant proposals aims to replace the term "Designated check post" with "Through any check post" in visa documentation. This change aims to provide travellers with the flexibility to choose their entry and exit points, alleviating congestion at specific checkposts and streamlining the travel process.

“Bangladesh and India share the fifth-longest land border in the world. This might also explain the high tourism influx from Bangladesh to India. Although from the point of view of the Indian government, there seems to be a thin line between tourism and illegal immigration. Managing the complex Indo-Bangladeshi border running through five Indian states is a herculean task, which needs constant monitoring. Risks of cross-border infiltration, illegal migration and smuggling remain major national security challenges for India,” said an Indian tourism official.