press trust of india
New Delhi, Jan 2: With a view to promote cruise tourism in India, cruise tourists with e-visas will now be exempted from the requirement of biometric enrolment till December 31, 2020, the government said today.
This will make immigration clearance of such passengers faster, leaving them with more time to spend on shore, it said, adding that this is also an important factor that helps cruise lines decide whether or not to include a destination in their itinerary.
The step assumes significance as based on the schedule of arrivals of cruise ships for season 2017-18 and 2019-20, many of the cruise ships coming to India are mega ships with 2,000 -4,000 passengers on board.
“In order to promote cruise tourism in the country, and make India an attractive cruise tourist destination, the Ministry of Home Affairs has, on request of the Ministry of Shipping, exempted cruise tourists arriving with e-visa from the requirement of biometric enrolment for a period of three years i.e. till December 31, 2020,” Ministry of Shipping said in a statement.
The shipping ministry has been working towards simplifying the immigration clearance procedure and providing passengers with a customer friendly and hassle free logistics process when they embark on or disembark from their cruise at the Indian ports, it added.
E-visa has been in place in the five major ports of Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin & Chennai.
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