Despite a massive appetite for travel post Covid-19, visa application volumes continued to lag behind 2019 levels, according to data from visa services provider VFS Global.
Visa application volumes saw a growth of 16% in 2023 as compared to 2022, and touched 93% of 2019 levels. India fully resumed international air travel from March 2022 after a gap of two years though a restricted number of flights to over 30 countries were allowed under “air-bubble” agreements.
While record-high air fares globally may have been a dampener for some, the demand for travel was massive and continued well beyond the peak summer travel season of April to June.
“We continued to witness unprecedented demand from India and the entire South Asia region in 2023 which led to an extended peak outbound travel season with steady visa application volumes witnessed until December. We are confident that this positive travel momentum will sustain in 2024 as well,” Vishal Jairath, Head – South Asia, VFS Global, said. The firm carries out visa processing on behalf of 52 client countries.
He advised that travellers must apply for the visas well in advance, and along with air tickets and hotels, to avoid the last-minute rush. Most countries accept visa applications up to 90 days before the date of travel. The revised Schengen Visa Code, effective February 2, 2020, also allows one to apply six months before the date of travel.
Top destinations for travel from India were Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S.. The sequence of countries is arranged in alphabetic order.
