(MENAFN- Live Mint) "With the holiday season in place, it is seen that Indians are opting for visa-free destinations as their ideal choice of international destination. As per MakeMyTrip, countries that removed visa requirements for travelers from India have seen over 30 percent positive uptick in terms of searches and bookings of the Christmas vacation, several Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka have recently announced that they are implementing visa-free entry for visitors from India and other countries Read: Indonesia may issue free entry visas to Indian travellers. Details hereAdding to this list, Iran and Indonesia are too considering to cancel visa requirements for visitors from 33 and 20 countries, including India respectively. Iran's decision follows a similar visa waiver implemented by Kenya who is set to remove visa requirements for international visitors from 1 January.
While speaking to Mint, Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip said,“Countries that have removed visa requirements for travelers from India, including Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and now Malaysia, have seen a 30%+ positive uptick in searches and bookings on our platform.\"Also Read: Making travel plans for holiday season? THESE countries lift visa requirements for Indian tourists\"This positive traction aligns with expectations, as visa-free entry, supported by enabling factors such as the availability of direct flights, reduces hassles as well as costs. For instance, the approximate visa cost for a family of four traveling to Thailand was Rs. 20,000. Therefore, it's not surprising that Thailand, despite already having a large number of travelers, has still seen a boost in bookings. The sustained week-on-week trends confirm that the surge is real and will continue,” he added.
Also Read: US Visa: H1B visa cap reached for 2024. What's next for 'non-selected' Indian candidatesFlight rates to ThailandSpeaking of current flight rates to Thailand, a nonstop ticket from Mumbai to Bangkok costs between ₹28,000 and ₹35,000 during the holiday season i.e. from 17 December to 4 January. From Delhi, the flights costs somewhere between ₹31,000 to ₹43,000, while from Bengaluru, the price ranges between ₹32,000- ₹60,000, as per Google Flights. From Kolkata, the price fares between ₹27,000 to ₹32,000 rates to VietnamAs per Google flights, currently flight from Mumbai to Hanoi is ₹50,000 for non-stop flight while ₹55,000- ₹78,000 for layer over flights. From Delhi, the flight cost ranges between ₹44,000- ₹63,000 for non-stop or one stop flights. From Bengaluru, the price ranges between ₹50,000- ₹80,000 while from Kolkata, it costs ₹45,000- ₹65,000 rates to Sri LankaAs per Google flights, currently flight from Mumbai to Colombo ranges from ₹35,000-68,000. In Delhi, the flight costs ranges from ₹42,000- ₹75,000, while usually the least expensive flights for similar trips to Colombo cost between ₹24,500– ₹31,000. From Bengaluru, price ranges around ₹40,000 for a round trip while from Kolkata, it ranges between ₹37,000-57,000 rates to MalaysiaPrime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had announced that the citizens of China and India have been granted visa-free entry to Malaysia for a duration of up to 30 days from December 1. The flight rate from Mumbai to Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur ranges from ₹30,000- ₹36,000 for a round trip while from Delhi, the flight would cost somewhere between ₹30,000- ₹51,000. From Bengaluru city, the flight cost ranges between ₹32,000-45,000 while from Kolkata, the flight fare ranges from ₹27,000- ₹50,000.

MENAFN15122023007365015876ID1107604760