The UK has missed out on billions in spending by failing to make it easier and cheaper for wealthy Indian tourists to apply for visas, a report claims today. It says that ministers have not made the same efforts to streamline the visa application process for India as they have for China — despite the two Commonwealth countries having closer links historically.
More than 420,000 Indians visited Britain last year, but 500,000 travelled to France. The proportion of Indian travellers choosing to head to the UK has halved from 4.4 per cent to 2.1 per cent over the past decade.
The report, from the Royal Commonwealth Society, warned that Britain is losing up to £500 million a year in spending as a result of its falling share of visits from India’s middle-class tourists and business travellers.
In the report, called A Passage From India, Tim Hewish, director of policy and research at the society, wrote that the figures showed “the UK cannot take Indian visitors for granted and must work harder to attract them as it has done in relation to Chinese visitors”.
It called on the Government to extend to Indian citizens a pilot scheme designed to lure more Chinese visitors to the country, which enables them to secure a two-year visa for £87.
Indian visitors have to pay £330 for a two-year visa or £600 for a five-year visa — they receive only six months of access for £87 fee. By contrast Indian visitors to America pay $160 (£123) for a 10-year visitor visa.
Dr Naushad Forbes, president of the Confederation of Indian Industry, said the move “would enhance ease of doing business with the UK as compared with securing a visa every six months”.
The recommendation comes ahead of the UK-India Year of Culture, announced by David Cameron in November. The project is designed to cement relations between the two countries and mark the 70th anniversary of Indian independence.
Nigel Huddleston, the Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire, said in a foreword to the report: “I believe that the changes advocated would help re-establish the UK as the leading destination for Indian visitors by making a clear statement that we are open for business.”
