US tourism expects surge in Indian visitors as visa issues resolve

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Indian tourists to the United States are expected to increase in the next 24 months as visa concerns are resolved, Times News Network reported. More tourists from tier-2 cities are predicted, and new tourist groups are expected to emerge as students, millennials, and relatives of NRI expand the tourism market.

Adam Burke, president of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board and a member of the US Department of Commerce’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, stated, as per Times News Network, that the board was not taking a “cookie cutter” approach to tourism promotion in India because there were so many different types of visitors.

Burke is in India as part of Los Angeles’ goal of attracting a million tourists by 2030. As the city commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Hollywood sign, Warner Brothers Studios, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and newly opened attractions, the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board hopes to encourage foreign visitors. Prior to the pandemic, 1,30,000 Indian tourists travelled to LA.
Post-Covid visa difficulties have hampered tourism, and the Board has been advocating for a reduction in wait time.

“This is a significant issue as we will not see full recovery without addressing the visa wait time,” said Burke.

He said that the current US policies will greatly cut wait time. To shorten wait times, efforts include processing applications in consulates outside the nation and revalidating some visas within the US, as opposed to the previous practise of forcing travellers to apply from outside the US. The agency has also simplified the visa application procedure for people whose visas have recently expired.

According to Burke, visa interviews will most likely be conducted by video rather than in-person encounters. Apart from visas, another barrier is the lack of direct flights to the city, which Burke hopes will be solved by Air India’s anticipated expansion.

In 2019, LA Tourism opened a full-time office in India. According to Burke, India presently ranks ninth among foreign tourists, but it is anticipated to jump to fifth in the next 24 months after visa concerns are resolved. By 2030, India is predicted to rank second among international tourists to Los Angeles.

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