Israel Mulling Over Laxed Visa Requirements for Indians

Israel will invest $660,000 in India and is planning to lax visa requirements in a bid to double the tourist inflow over the period of next three years. Every year estimated 50,000 Indian tourists visit Israel and similar number of Israeli visitors arrives in India.

Israel’s tourism minister, Stas Misezhnikov addressed a press conference jointly with Indian tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai who is on a four day visit in Israel and said, “We are opening an office of the ministry of tourism in Mumbai which shows that we give a lot of significance to our relationship with India.”

Misezhnikov further added, “The potential for enhancing co-operation in the tourism is very good. Now tourist inflow to India from Israel and tourist outflow from India to Israel is equal.”

The two ministers also agreed upon the need to increase the frequency of flights between Tel Aviv and Mumbai from three per week to at least once each day and possibly include other destinations such as Delhi, Kolkata and Goa to accommodate more tourists from each country.

Sahai said, “India understands that tourism increases the rate of employment among the working classes, women and people living in the periphery.”

The Indian delegate is visiting Israel to promote Indian tourism in Israel to boost bilateral tourism.

Jews living in India are a religious minority and Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history. According to 2005 census, about 16000 Jews live in India and about half live in Manipur and Mizoram and a quarter live in the city of Mumbai.

Tags: India, Israel, Tourism, Tourist Visa, visit India, visit Israel, visit visa