The Ministry of Tourism on Thursday launched the much-touted online visa facility for 43 countries

The Ministry of Tourism on Thursday launched the much-touted online visa facility for 43 countries including the US, Australia, Japan, Israel, Germany and Singapore. Travelers can apply for a visa from the comfort of their homes and receive a visa within 72 hours.

The electronic travel authorization (ETA) will be valid for 30 days and the visa fee has been fixed at $62. Those traveling on leisure, short duration medical treatment, casual business visit or to meet friends and relatives will be eligible to apply. The facility will be made available at nine airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Thiruvanathapuram.

Assuring safe and secure tourism for foreign tourists, home minister Rajnath Singh said, “We want to promote tourism in the country in a big way. The contribution of tourism in GDP is approximately 7% and we want to double it.”