VFS Global, which processed 26.7 million visa applications globally, witnessed 16 per cent increase in number of visa applications processed in all countries of operation around the world. According to release issued by VFS, South Asia at 5.8 million applications emerged as top source market for foreign travel, with most number of visa applications recorded for this region. India observed an overall increase of 13 per cent in visa applications in 2018. The Middle East and China saw 4.47 million and 4.46 million visa processed respectively in 2018.
“With the year-on-year increase in visa applications from India, it is evident that foreign travel is no longer the domain of a privileged few. A large part of this growth comes from the smaller cities – more Indians from these cities are travelling abroad than ever before, and are keen to explore even off-beat destinations,” Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group Chief Operating Officer – Middle East, South Asia, and China, VFS Global, said.
From India, VFS Global processed most number of visa applications for US, UK, Canada, Malaysia, People’s Republic of China, Thailand, and Schengen group of countries. Emerging destinations such as Japan, Turkey, Czech Republic, and Estonia, among some others witnessed significant increase in applications in 2018 over 2017.
The company further states that tier II cities led the growth in foreign travel and contributed significantly to the growth in outbound travel from India. While visa application counts in the major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru grew consistently, a significant growth in visa application counts were witnessed in some other metros, such as Ahmedabad (32% growth in 2018) and Pune (20% growth in 2018). Meanwhile, steep year-on-year growth in count was recorded in Tier II cities, such as: Jalandhar (66%), Chandigarh (54%), Pondicherry (43%), and Goa (45%).
