Marked increase in India’s visa fees could deter M’sians from visiting

India has hiked the tourist visa fees for Malaysians to RM462.60 (US$156.30) since July 1, leading some trade members to speculate that leisure outbound interest to the destination may suffer.

The fee hike will also come with an increased stay period covered by the multi-entry visa, from the existing six months (at a price of RM194.60) to a year.

On June 25, the eVisa fee was also increased from US$50 to US$80, valid for 120 days.

Anand Arun, development director at Anand Travels, said the sudden increase in visa fee caught the travel trade by surprise.

He shared: “It will definitely have an impact on Malaysian families travelling to India during the peak year-end travel period. Sri Lanka and Nepal stand to gain as their visa fees are much cheaper. It costs only RM95 for 15-day single-entry visa to Nepal.”

K Thangavelu, president, Malaysian Indian Tour & Travel Association (MITTA), expects the new visa application fee to deter Malaysians who intend to visit India once for sightseeing and who are not regular visitors.

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