The Center loosened regulations for international travellers as of Tuesday, providing relief to the tourism industry and fueling expectations that after three years of the pandemic-induced slump, foreign visitors will pick up in the coming year when India hosts the G-20 summit.
A new notification from the ministry of health and family welfare has replaced the instructions given to overseas travellers on September 2, 2022.
Prior to now, international passengers had to submit self-declaration forms on the Air Suvidha website at least 14 days prior to their scheduled flight, among other requirements. Covid-19 RT-PCR results that were negative after being performed 72 hours before the trip or information on the Covid-19 vaccination had to be uploaded. Approximately 2% of all passengers on a flight were required to submit to random testing when they arrived.
“All passengers should preferably be completely vaccinated as per the authorised primary schedule of immunisation against COVID-19 in their Country,” reads the new notification for international travellers.
Airport random post-arrival testing has likewise been discontinued.
According to data from the Union Ministry of Tourism, while India welcomed 17.91 million foreign visitors in 2019, the number fell to 6.33 million in 2020 as Covid-19 spread over the world.
“The industry will benefit greatly from a sense of routine. Since 2020, there haven’t been many international visitors here. But with the G-20 summit taking place in India the following year, we anticipate a new surge of foreign visitors, according to Clubside Tours and Travel CEO Amit Periwal.