Marcos orders review of e-visa system for Indian tourists

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has ordered a review of the e-visa system for Indian visitors to attract more tourists.

Marcos made the order after his advisers informed him about issues surrounding the e-visa process.

During a meeting of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC)’s tourism sector group with Marcos on Wednesday,  LT Group president and chief executive officer Lucio Tan said the present e-visa system requires Indian nationals to appear before the Philippine embassy in New Delhi.

Tan said the e-visa processing for Indian tourists could take a month, making the Philippines less appealing to visit for them.

“We recommend engaging (a) third party service provider that will establish, run and maintain the e-visa system under the guidance of relevant government agencies,” Tan, a member of the PSAC’s tourism sector group, said.

“This will ensure that the program is consistently monitored and any challenge in the process and the system will be immediately (addressed).  This will streamline the application process and generate more applications,” Tan said.

Marcos ordered the review to see how the administration could come up with a seamless e-visa process for Indian nationals.

He said faster e-visa processing would help boost Philippine tourism.

“We don’t have any such issue (with India). I’m sure we can use their system,” Marcos said.

The e-visa system for Indian nationals is undergoing beta testing and is only serving walk-in clients at the Philippine embassy in New Delhi.

The PSAC’s tourism sector group said India’ growing economy and rising middle class are expected to help outbound trips hit 30 million by next year.

It called for the improvement of the e-visa system for Indian nationals, whom it described as repeat visitors who spend an average of eight nights and $100 per person per day in the Philippines.

According to the group, 78 percent of Indian tourists stay in hotels.

The Philippines welcomed more than 5.45 million international visitors last year, exceeding the 4.8 million arrivals target set by the industry, according to the tourism department.