The government has eased restrictions on tourist visas which had mandated a two-month gap between consecutive visits by foreign nationals. However, it will not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh, foreigners of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin and stateless persons and they will continue to come under the 60-day gap rule. The decision is expected to breathe fresh life into the tourism industry and comes just ahead of the peak tourist season. The tourist visa restriction, which was relaxed yesterday, was introduced in November 2009 in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks when it was found that Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley had breached security norms to visit India several times over a period of 3-4 years.
A decision to review the visa restrictions was taken by the Prime Minister's Office in January this year following the Tourism Ministry’s view that the restrictions had affected flow of tourists to India.