Update: UKinbound, the Tourism Alliance, and Airlines UK took part in a Parliamentary event organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, reiterating calls for a UK-Indian bilateral visa agreement to an audience that included MPs and representatives of the Indian High Commission. Find out why we supported the campaign here.
Research by The Royal Commonwealth Society has shown that despite the UK’s historic, cultural and economic links with India, France attracted 185,000 more Indian business visitors and tourists in 2016.
Overall, the number of visits to the UK by Indian nationals fell by 1.73% in 2016, while in France it grew by 5.3%.
Commenting on the research, Director of The Royal Commonwealth Society, Michael Lake, said, “Given the strong historic ties between the UK and India in areas such as trade, culture and business, the fact that France continues to attract more Indian visitors than the UK is not only hugely surprising, but also enormously concerning. It’s clear that more needs to be done to build stronger links between such important Commonwealth partners.”
In response to these statistics, MPs, The Royal Commonwealth Society and representatives from the travel and tourism sector including UKinbound, the Tourism Alliance and Airlines UK will be in Parliament today reiterating their calls for a UK-Indian bilateral visa agreement.
The agreement being proposed would reduce the cost of a two-year visa from £388 to £89, and allow travellers to make repeat visits within two years, mirroring the reduced cost two-year multi-entry visa for Chinese visitors which was launched in January 2016. The call comes ahead of the Commonwealth Summit, being held in London next month, which Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi is expected to attend.
Given that the competitiveness of the UK visa offering globally has plummeted from 22nd to 108th in international rankings, a UK-India bilateral visa agreement would be an ideal initial step in making the UK a more attractive destination for Indian visitors.
Supporting the campaign, Virendra Sharma MP, said, “A new UK-India bilateral visa agreement will enhance trade and tourism, as well as strengthen important business and cultural ties, enabling both the UK and India to capitalise on future global opportunities.”
