U.S. Embassy Issues Record Visas, Wait-times for India Persist

30.11.2023 - 11:05 / skift.com

Demand for U.S. visas from Indian travelers are at record highs. But 500-day wait times or longer continue to hinder travel to the U.S.  

The State Department confirmed the record-breaking issuance of over 140,000 student visas to Indians. The U.S. embassy and consulates in India said they issued nearly 8 million visitor visas for business and tourism for the recent fiscal year. This is the highest output recorded since 2016. A near-historic 10.4 million non-immigrant visas were granted worldwide.     

India is not alone in its visa dilemma. Wait times for first-time visitor visas in Colombia and Mexico are equally high. The U.S. Travel Association forecasts these delays will cost the industry $12 billion in lost traveler spending this year.

The U.S. State Department has introduced measures to address visa backlogs like waiving interview requirements and extending weekend interviews. Yet, the wait times for visa processing have only been reduced by 100 days for Indian travelers, down from 600 days in March.

Key Source Market: In the first six months of 2023, over 800,000 Indian travelers went to the U.S., making it America’s second-largest non-North American market after the UK this year.

Indian Travel Recovery to the U.S.: For 2023, the U.S. is expected to welcome 1.4 million Indian travelers, 97% of the pre-pandemic volume. Nearly 60% of Indian travelers came to the U.S. for vacation, business, or a conference in the first six months of this year.

Closer to home, Sri Lanka’s pilot project to offer free 30-day visas to Indian travelers, announced at the end of October, kicked off on Wednesday, and will run until March 31, 2024. 

It is the latest country after Thailand and Malaysia to join in offering easier access for Indians.

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Recovery: India is traditionally Sri Lanka’s top inbound tourism market. In October 2023, arrival figures for India topped with over 28,000 or 26 percent with Russian tourists trailing at over 10,000 arrivals as the second largest group. The free tourist visa pilot includes India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry endured a severe blow due to the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by an economic crisis last year. The country welcomed 1 million arrivals by September, the first time since 2019, with the island nation expected to conclude the year with 1.5 million arrivals. 

Madla village, located on the outskirts of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, has been chosen by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for its tourist village upgrade program. 

Initially selected as a UNWTO ‘Best Tourism Village’ for 2023, Madla has now qualified to join the upgrade program, meeting the criteria of