To meet the growth in foreign travel, visa application centres have introduced services that are not only tailor-made to suit the changing requirements of applicants, but also simplify the visa application process, making it more convenient, exclusive, personalised, time saving and hassle-free.

By all means, companies such as VFS Global have made great contributions to making the process of applying for a visa simple and hassle-free. With the services available in the market today, most applicants, irrespective of their schedules or location, have full access to a smooth and streamlined visa application services, such as those with round-the-clock commitments, or with minimal access to metro cities, or wishing for additional support and paperless experience.

Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East and China, VFS Global, says, “The trust and reliability of a customer-focused specialised travel agent still holds a very high premium, especially in countries like India. Due to this, travel agents are best placed to gauge and understand their customer’s unique requirements and can advise them appropriately on visas services that are best suited to their schedules and preferences.”

VFS Global offers travel agents a wide range of innovative and extremely useful services that smoothen the visa application process. Personalised services are purely optional and come at an extra fee, and are no guarantee of a positive decision by the concerned embassy or consulate. Nevertheless, such services continue to be highly popular among time-pressed applicants who find the convenience of these services invaluable, as commonly found in many industries.

Premium Lounges For Personalised Assistance:

Popular among families travelling with children, corporates, and frequent fliers, VFS Global’ s Premium Lounges are designed exclusively for applicants seeking a comfortable visa application process with enhanced customer service, delivered with a personalised touch. The Lounges have been built with elegant interiors and well-equipped modern amenities to ensure a smooth experience at the Visa Application Centres.

The service includes one-to-one attention with a dedicated staff member, who will guide the applicants through the entire application procedure. The personalised services are offered for select countries at most VFS Global Visa Application Centres across India. Check with your trusted travel agent for the availability of group discounts on this service.

Preferred Pricing For Groups Opting for Visa At Your Doorstep:

VFS Global representatives visit the applicant’s preferred location to accept the visa application and enrol biometrics so that applicants do not have to visit the Visa Application Centre and can complete the process from the comfort of their surroundings.

The service is quite popular because of the flexibility it offers to applicants – it is most often used by leisure travel groups, and also by applicants from Tier-2 cities not covered under the VFS Global’ s network of 17 cities, who find it difficult to travel to another city just for  completing their visa application process. Other groups who find this service beneficial are film personalities and crew, large corporate groups, and high net-worth individuals, who may find it inconvenient to visit the visa centres because of their busy schedules.

The service is available to applicants for an extra fee. Check with your trusted travel agent for the availability of group discounts on this service.

Apply Outside Regular Working Hours:

Busy schedules or work commitments need not stand in the way of smooth application experience anymore either. There are services now exclusively aimed at those who may not be able to visit the Visa Application Centre during the usual working hours. Options like the Prime Time Service provided by VFS Global allows individuals to apply for their visas outside of regular working hours without interrupting their schedules. With such services applicants no longer need to take leave from office or school for visa appointments. This service takes care of the needs of the time-poor applicants.

Check with your trusted travel agent for flexible timings during which applications can available at the Visa Application Centre.

These services have transformed the overall application process and have proved to be extremely useful for applicants to beat the peak visa application rush. And each year, development of innovative and top-of-the-line services for visa applicants continues.

QUOTE:

“The trust and reliability of a customer-focused specialised travel agent still holds a very high premium, especially in countries like India. Due to this, travel agents are best placed to gauge and understand their customer’s unique requirements and can advise them appropriately on visas services that are best suited to their schedules and preferences.”

Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East and China, VFS Global 

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“The General Elections 2019 was not an unexpected event, it was well-known that the elections would be held in April-May month of this year, but no effort was made to connect with political parties to apprise them of our issues and problem and seek their commitments to address them,” rued Kohli. He stated that the industry is currently facing some sort of leadership crisis, and its current leaders have failed to provide desired leadership to the industry.

Many prominent industry players, who can provide constructive leadership to the industry, articulate its concerns and make the industry’s voice heard have been sidelined, said Kohli. Many prominent industry players, who are at the helms of India’s leading travel business organizations, don’t want to get involved in the politics of associations because of the narrow-mindedness of people in associations.
An important aspect of leadership is thought leaders, whose role is well recognized in every walk of our life. Thought leaders are well-informed, experienced and successful people in their respective domains. They are visionaries and inspire people with their innovative ideas and success stories. Young entrepreneurs can learn a lot from them.

“Thought leaders have a very important role to play in every sector. Every major industry in the world has thought leaders, but in India’s travel & tourism, such leaders are few, and even these few have been sidelined and underutilized,” rues Kohli. He added that some thought leaders were parts of associations, but have been shown the doors. Thought leaders can well be used to inspire and educate members of the industry, but our associations are unable to use them and the industry as a whole is deprived of their knowledge and insights gained through years of hard work and experiences.

Kohli, who is currently more focused on his own business and not actively involved in association activities, said most of the office bearers of our associations are aloof to the concerns of the industry, and always want to be in the limelight rather than keeping the interest of the industry at the centre of their activities. This should change, he added.

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Q. How long have you been in India as the ambassador of your country? How are you working to deepen the bilateral relations between the two countries?  

My tour of duty in India has been nearly 7 months. I am very happy and proud to be the Vietnamese Ambassador to India and my tenure is significant as Vietnam and India are enjoying a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The India-Vietnam relationship has a very solid foundation, deeply rooted in history, maintained by mutual political trust between the two countries on the basis of convergence of strategic interests and cooperative potentials. My mission is to deepen this strategic relationship and to bring our bond to a new level.

Q. What are the key tourist attractions in your country? How unique is Vietnam as a tourist destination?

Vietnam is becoming a major favourite tourist destination in the world. With over 3000 kilometres of coastline, tranquil beaches, dynamic growing cities, mountainous highlands, and diverse cultural and historic sites, Vietnam’s tourism industry continues to rank amongst the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the world.

Destinations like Ha Long Bay, Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Mui Ne, Phu Quoc, and Ho Chi Minh City is popular with numerous places of interest which are appealing to tourists around the world. Notably, Vietnam is known as a safe destination with friendly, hospitable people. In addition, the tourism industry could satisfy any visitors’ demand for shopping, entertainment, cuisine exploration, wedding, honeymoon and conference participation.

Q. Also, share some interesting facts about tourism in your country?

Vietnam recently named the “Asia’s Leading Destination” for the first time at 2018 World Travel Awards. Since 2010, the number of international tourists has grown three-fold from 5 million to more than 15 million in 2018. In 2019, the tourism industry targets to welcome 18 million international visitors. Tourism is expected to contribute 10 per cent to its GDP by 2020 when Vietnam hopes to get 20 million foreign visitors and earn $35 billion in tourism revenues.

 “Our country is traveller’s paradise and this paradise offers an array of options for Indians to do in Vietnam. Vietnam has many things to offer Indian tourists like the world’s best sandy beaches, an abundance of Indian culture reflected in their numerous temples and many Indian restaurants.”

Q. How important is India as a tourist market for Vietnam? Currently how many Indians are visiting Vietnam per year?

Around one lakh of Indian tourists travelled to Vietnam in 2018. The number is estimated to increase in the coming years. However, the figure remained modest compared to the potential of tourism between Vietnam and India, as the two nations have enjoyed friendship, cultural and civilizational linkage for thousands of years, with various ancient Champa towers and temples in Quang Nam province. Meanwhile, India welcomes approximately 30,000 Vietnamese tourists every year, most of whom make pilgrimages to the Buddhist holy land and visit cultural and heritage sites of India.

Promoting tourism is a focus of the Embassy’s economic diplomatic activities. India’s large population with 400-500 million people in the middle class, the country’s increasing number of holiday-makers choosing overseas destinations is one of advantage for our tourism promotion activities. Vietnam should be listed as a not-to-miss destination since it is home to an array of world heritages, relic sites, and natural beauty. Besides, we also aim to promote Vietnam as a destination for golfers and wedding organizers.

Q. What would be your advice for Indians planning to visit Vietnam? What are the attractions in your country you think Indians should visit? 

As I mentioned, our country is traveller’s paradise and this paradise offers an array of options for Indians to do in Vietnam. Vietnam has many things to offer Indian tourists like the world’s best sandy beaches, an abundance of Indian culture reflected in their numerous temples and many Indian restaurants. Many must-see destinations should not be missed when travelling to Vietnam as Ha Long Bay, Trang An Site, Mekong Delta. And importantly, do not forget to shop in our huge shopping malls in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi Capital and try the delicious Pho and the steaming hot Vietnamese Coffee which we also serve at our canteen of the Embassy every Friday at lunchtime. Before going to Vietnam you can explore Vietnamese authentic cuisine at Viet Nom Restaurant in Gurgaon.

Q. How is the visa process for Indians?

It is simple. For Indians to apply for our tourist visa, they simply need a passport and one photocopy of passport, one application form with a photograph attached the itinerary of flight and booking of the hotel. They could submit for visa application at our Embassy at 20 Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi or through Embassy’ s Website. For the normal process, the visa is granted after three working days.

Q. How is air-connectivity between the two countries?

Both Vietnamese and Indian people would like to see non-stop flights between the two countries. It would be a pillar in ‘Act East Policy’ of India. Since I took my duty here, I have tried my best to actualise the air connectivity and our efforts seem to pay off. In the next few months, Indigo plans to open direct flight Kolkata – Hanoi and New Delhi – Hanoi. I am also working for a good flight time slot for Vietjet so she can fly very soon too. Once we have direct air connectivity, tourism will explode.

Q. Finally, what do you like the most about India?

India is treating me very well beyond my expectations. I like the Indian hospitality and friendliness most. I am also enjoying Indian cultural diversity and landscape beauty. I have been to 15 States and Territories and will hopefully be able to travel to all 29 States and most of Territories of India. For me, this is truly the land of miracles!

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Tell us about tourism in Lebanon. What has the country to offer as a tourist destination?

The nature of Lebanon makes it the only country in the Middle East that embraces four seasons yearly. Irrespective of the season, there is always something special to enjoy. In the winter season, ski resorts offer tourists slopes that are comparable to the best resorts in Europe. In the summer, international festivals all over the country—in Baalbek, Beiteddine, Byblos, Jounieh and many others—bring together Lebanese and foreign artists to perform in stunning archaeological and historical sites. These events have given Lebanon an enviable place on the cultural map of the Middle East. Visitors to Lebanon enjoy outstanding service in world-class hotels and resorts, restaurants, casinos, theatres, cinemas and nightclubs as well as luxury shopping centres along with advanced communication and transportation services.

Which forms of tourism are more popular in your country? What are the popular attractions?

The most popular types of tourism in Lebanon are cultural tourism, nature and adventure tourism (including attractions like beaches and mountains), shopping, and religious tourism. Lebanon is enriched with tourist attractions, both natural and man-made.

What are the new initiatives by the Government of Lebanon to promote tourism in the country?

Our Ministry of Tourism recently launched ‘Rethinking Lebanon 2025’, a campaign to craft slogans that reflect Lebanon’s identity. As part of the campaign, Lebanese people from across the globe have been invited to come up with creative slogans that reflect Lebanon’s cuisine, nightlife, hospitality, etc. The slogan is meant to promote ‘brand Lebanon’ on the international arena. The competition aims to engage and challenge Lebanese youth all over the world to help create a virtual community to revive patriotic feelings and a sense of belonging among the Lebanese people.

Could you tell us about Lebanon’s international tourist markets?

The tourism industry in Lebanon has been historically important to the local economy and remains to this day a major source of revenue for Lebanon. The country has experienced a remarkable tourism growth; people from across the globe are exceedingly willing to visit Lebanon and explore what it has to offer.

How important is India as a tourist market for Lebanon?

A large number of Indians are exploring Lebanon as I have noticed a significant growth in the number of visa applications received. India, a country of 22 million outbound tourists annually, plays an important role in promoting Lebanon as a tourist destination. Indians are evolved travellers, who believe in experiential travel and want to do things at their own pace. Lebanon is a perfect destination for this category of tourists, therefore, Indian tourists love Lebanon.

How do you plan to attract Indian tourists to your country?

 We plan to collaborate with several players of travel trade in India. We also have many activities and initiatives in the near future. We want tourists from all parts of India to witness the exquisite and serene Lebanon experience. In addition to the major tier-I cities, we also plan to promote the destination in tier-II cities of India. The historical, deep and warm relations between our two countries and peoples make my mission to promote Lebanon much easier and pleasurable.

What would be your advice for Indians planning to visit Lebanon?

Travelling to Lebanon is a mode of self-realization, exploration, experiencing different cultures and meeting new people. I advise my Indian friends to fully indulge in this exceptional experience and enjoy the touristic sites, cuisine, nightlife, nature and Mount Lebanon, among many others.

What is the visa process for Indians?

Thanks to our partner VFS Global, applying for a visa has become easier for applicants. We have been getting positive feedback from the people.

 Tell us about the flights between India and Lebanon?

Although there is no direct flight to Lebanon from India, there are future plans that Middle East Airlines would run direct flights to and from Delhi. Currently, many airlines fly to Lebanon from India through one-stop transits.

How do you see India as a country? What do you like most about India?

India is a magnificent multi-cultural country that has a wonderful history and a rich culture. Above all, I have been impressed by the warmth and genuineness of the hearts of the Indian people.

QUOTE 

 “We want tourists from all parts of India to witness the exquisite and serene Lebanon experience. In addition to the major tier-I cities, we also plan to promote the destination in tier-II cities of India.”

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Turkey and India share many commonalities based on cultures, values, histories, progressive ideas,  citizen welfare, etc. We have solidarity with each other. Relations at the leadership level between the two countries are very close. Indian PM Narendra Modi and Turkish President met a couple of times in the last three years and they share very close and cordial relations. I think it is not easy to develop such exemplary relations in such a short period of time. India and Turkey are on the same page on almost all the regional and international issues. Both countries work closely to strengthen regional security and stability in the world.  Our foreign policy is similar to India’s.

Fight against Terrorism

We are on the same page in the fight against terrorism. I think it is necessary to address the root causes of terrorism. Fight against terrorism cannot be won unless the root causes of terrorism are addressed. It is also important that while fighting terrorism, one should refrain from hyphenating it with religion.  Certain media organizations in the west, because of their vested interest,  hyphenate terrorism with Islam, that is unacceptable. You would never hear terrorism being clubbed with any religion in India, China or in any Muslim country.  It happens only in the western world.

No country can benefit from cooperating with one terrorist organization to fight another one, but a few countries are doing so. I agree with the Indian position that terrorists cannot be divided between good and bad, as all terrorists are bad. Turkey has been suffering from the scourge of terrorism from a decade.

Tourism

Government of Turkey offers e-Visa to Indian tourists that is very easy to avail. In 2017, about 75% of total  Indian tourist arrivals to Turkey visited the country on e-visa.   As of now, Turkey does not come under the e-visa scheme of Government of India, which is a hindrance in Turkish nationals visiting India.   On the other hand, India is yet to reciprocate Turkey by offering e-visa to its citizens. India currently offers e-visa to 161 countries, but Turkey is among the remaining countries whose nationals are eligible for Indian e-visa. Turkish people love India, especially Turkish ladies even without visiting the country. Turkish ladies love Indian costumes, necklace, stones, jewellery, etc.

But if any Turk wants to visit India, he or she will have to visit Indian consulate to apply for a visa, and wait for 15-20 days. This discourages Turks to visit  India and act as a barrier to tourism from Turkey to India. I request the Government of India to allow Turkish citizens to avail Indian e-visa so that they can see this beautiful country, enjoy Indian hospitality and experience Indian couture and heritage.  India has immense tourism capacity such as archaeology, nature, shopping food, culinary.

ON INDIA-TURKEY RELATIONS

Relations between India and Turkey go back to the early part of the 20th century when the Khilafat movement supported by Indian National Congress and Mahatma Gandhi protested against the British rule for abolishing the Caliphate in Turkey. Gandhi was a great son of India.

Government of Turkey has given shelters to a large number of Syrian refugees who fled  Syria to escape the continued violence. The ambassador strongly feels that there is a need to improve commercial and economic ties between the two countries.

The political and diplomatic relations between India and Turkey are very cordial. The relationship at the top leadership level is excellent. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan share very close relation. They developed a very warm and cordial relation in a very short span of time. They have met each other on many occasions. Turkey is on the same page with India on a wide range of regional and international issues. We are on the same page as India on the matter of countering terrorism. Turkey has also been a victim of terrorism for a decade.

Like India, Turkey is also a member of G20. Both countries have similar views on many regional and international issues and they work together on many international forums. We completely agree with India’s position that there is no good terrorist or bad terrorist; all forms of terrorist are bad and one cannot differentiate between terrorists on the basis of political expediency. However, it is necessary to address the root causes of terrorism. Terrorism cannot be eliminated completely unless its root causes are addressed. It is also important that terrorism should not hyphenated with any religion. It is not hyphenated with any religion in Turkey, India or China. But certain media houses in Europe hyphenate terrorism with Islam, which is wrong.

Trade relations

We are a free market economy. Doors are open for Indian businessmen and investors to come to Turkey and invest.  We are working to deepen our strategic ties. We are working together to enhance our trade network and energy security. We cooperate with each other in regional and international institutions. Both countries are members of G20. Turkey is a  member of NATO and intends to join the European Union. The current Turkish government is strengthening the country’s ties not only with its neighbours but with all geographies of the world. We are partnering with ASEAN and  Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). India and Turkey together form a 3 trillion dollar economy and have a huge potential of bilateral trade. Unfortunate, in the past,  we have neglected our economic and commercial relations.

The current size of bilateral trade is less than 7 billion (as in 2017). It does not reflect the true potential of our bilateral trade. Our potential is quite high.  First of all, we must expand the size of our cake, then we talk about the trade balance. Our economic potential is quite enormous. Now we looking beyond our neighbourhood. We are realizing that we need to expand our trade with countries and regions like Iran, America, Africa, China, India, Japan and so on.

Turkey and India are in talks to sign a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. We have held five rounds of talks so far. The agreement is expected to be signed in the next two-three years. This would be an important instrument to promote bilateral trade and the size of the trade will increase exponentially.

Another area of cooperation is that both countries can trade with each other in their national currencies. Today we trade only in USD. But we can do some part of our trade in Indian currencies and Turkish Lira. I think it will be a win-win situation for both countries. We need to develop and establish a mechanism to exchange Rupees and Lira to trade in our currencies.

The total bilateral trade volume between India and Turkey was 6,975 billion USD. In the first eight months of 2018, the total bilateral trade between the two countries has been 5,893 billion USD as compared to 4,182 billion USD in the same period of 2017, registering a 40% increase.  Honourable Prime Minister of India and the President of Turkey have set a target of 10 billion USD bilateral trade between the two countries by 2020.

The economic and commercial ties between the two countries are improving. The two countries have had very good political and economic relations, but our economic and commercial ties have not been very strong. We are quite behind in realizing the full potential of our economic and commercial ties. Turkey remained focused on its neighbouring countries and ignored commercial ties with countries like India. In fact, both countries ignored the commercial aspect of their bilateral ties in the past. Now we are discovering the potential of our commercial ties.

Humanitarian Assistance

Considering the ratio of Turkish official humanitarian assistance to its GDP, Turkey is the most generous country in the world in offering humanitarian assistance to countries in crisis. It is the second biggest donor country in the world after the USA. Turkey’s contribution to global humanitarian assistance is 3,2 billion US Dollars. Turkey has been very generous in providing humanitarian assistance in crisis-ridden Syria and to Syrian nationals. Turkey has been providing asylum to a large number of Syrian nationals who were forced to flee Syria due to its ongoing crisis.  I have been in India for the last 20 months. I love India very much and feel at home here.  India is a great civilization.

QUOTE:

“We are on the same page in the fight against terrorism. I think it is necessary to address the root causes of terrorism. Fight against terrorism cannot be won unless the root causes of terrorism are addressed. It is also important that while fighting terrorism, one should refrain from hyphenating it with religion.”

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