India sees over 30% uptick in bookings since Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam lift visa requirements
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. Ahead 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.
Adding 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." "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. Speaking 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.
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