Philippines seeks to draw in more Indian tourists via new e-Visa system

The Philippine Department of Tourism announced that it is ready to capture India’s rising outbound market through the implementation of its new e-Visa system in India.

Tourism secretary Christina Frasco lauded the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) issuance of e-Visas to Indian nationals, saying local destinations are ready to welcome more of them.

Frasco said: “We welcome the announcement of the Department of Foreign Affairs on the full automation of the electronic visa system for India. This is something that the administration has been working on for some time, and we greatly appreciate all the efforts to launch this, especially that we’re looking at India as a very robust outbound market to come into the Philippines.”

A market with great potential

India’s outbound travel is expected to grow into a US$55.39 billion market by 2034 while the number of Indians traveling overseas is projected to increase to 50 million in 2030, according to India-based consultancy firm Nangia NXT.

In its latest report, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) pointed out how India is set to become the future growth engine for global tourism, with the rapid expansion of the middle classes and scaling up of air connectivity across the country.

The Philippines has been in talks with the Indian government since 2023 to develop this market and cater to its traveling public, including through this e-Visa initiative and the possibility of more flights to the Philippines.

The government, Frasco said, is also coordinating with local tour operators to make sure the market is ripe for travel to the Philippines.

She said: “We are excited to welcome our friends from India, especially that we offer tourism products that are very attractive to the Indian market.”