EU Visa Processing Delays Might Be Creating More Indian Traffic Tourism for Australia
However, Australia seems to be benefiting from such circumstances, as Indian nationals are opting for the island country instead of waiting for lengthy periods of the visa application process of the EU, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
More specifically, the number of applications from Indian tourists for a tourist visa in Australia had surged by 60 per cent compared to 2019 levels, when no COVID-19 pandemic travel restriction was in force.
The online application process and multiple-entry options, varying from one to three years, have made Australian visas attractive, while Schengen visa applicants face prolonged processing periods and a lack of appointments.
The island country opened for tourists on February 21, 2022, after nearly two years of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. About 8,000 to 10,000 applications for Oz visas have been lodged in the country in a one-week period ever since India lifted its international flight ban on March 27, 2022, after the pandemic situation.
“The surge in applicants shows there is a pent-up demand for travel among Indians after the lockdown and pandemic. Before the pandemic, we used to receive up to 6,000 tourist visa applications a week, and now the number has touched 10,000 (in May and June) across India,” Nishant Kashikar, country manager of Tourism Australia for India and the Gulf, has said regarding the surge in visa application numbers, pointing out the majority of applications are filed from Karnataka, mainly Bengaluru.
This region is familiar to Australians, as it saw 41,000 tourists, spending about €177 million in the country in 2019.
According to Schengen Statistics, 130,427 applications for uniform visas were recorded across the 27-nation-bloc in 2021, with the total number of uniform visas issued reaching 97,836. Furthermore, 60,924 multiple entry uniform visas (MEVs) were issued for Indian nationals, while the number of LTVs issued reached 200.
On the other hand, the rejection rate reached 23.3 per cent, while the share of Multiple Entry Visas was 62.3 per cent.
India is ranked among the top ten countries of origin to receive visas in 2021, being listed as sixth. As the data shows, the top third countries with the most visas issued for the year were Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, with a total of 513,811, 220,245 and 188,763 visas issued.
India stands behind Saudi Arabia and Morocco, with nationals receiving 103,336 and 97,836 visas, respectively.
