Visa on Arrival

We are very pleased to report that it has just been announced that the UK has been added to the list of countries that can obtain their Indian Tourist Visa on arrival.  The e-Tourist Visa (eTV) process will begin on 15 August 2015. 

The eTV fee at US$60 appears to be cheaper than the current system (UK£82 plus charges of £7.44 or more) but there are limitations eg it allows a maximum of 30 days in India and single entry only.  Also you must arrive into an Indian Airport that is set up to process the eTV – there are currently nine: Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Trivandrum with a further seven added from 15 August: Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Gaya, Jaipur, Lucknow, Trichy, Varanasi.  Unfortunately Calicut is not on the list and this is an airport we regularly book for our customers. 

Tourists can still get their visa in advance and for arrival into Calicut or holidays longer than 30 days some people will have to.  But for most people this announcement is good news – although you may find that it takes longer to get through immigration.

We will monitor the situation and update our Visa Advice as we learn more.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR is a new piece of legislation that has not yet hit the headlines.  From 1 October 2015 all businesses in Europe must offer their customers a method of resolving disputes without the need to go through the small claims courts which can be costly, time-consuming and stressful for both parties.  As ABTA members we already give our customers the option to use their arbitration service.  The good news is that ABTA’s ADR scheme has been approved by Trading Standards – in fact it is the first in the travel industry to be approved.

I am pleased to report that so far – since we launched this company in 1998 we have never had a complaint that we have not been able to resolve.  But it is good to know that ABTA have an approved scheme that we can offer our customers. 

Now you can pay us in foreign currencies

We are pleased to advise our customers who live outside the UK that we have a new credit card terminal that means we can take payments in 36 of the most common foreign currencies.  Previously we took payments only in UK pounds and customers would not know until they received the statement from their credit card provider how much it cost.  Many of our customers (particularly those from the USA) were shocked by the exchange rate used by their credit card suppliers.  Our new terminal uses competitive rates updated daily and we can tell you the actual cost in your own currency at the time of payment.  So no nasty surprises when your credit card bill arrives. 

Nepal

Following the devastating earthquake of 25 April we have been updated on the current situation by the Nepal agent.  The good news is that none of our contacts (or their immediate family) in Nepal were injured.  The initial quake and the aftershocks have caused significant damage to the country and it will take a lot of time, effort and money to repair and rebuild what they have lost. 

The good news is that the airport is open, most of the main roads were not damaged and the main tourist hotels sustained little damage.  Pokhara and Chitwan (major tourist destinations) were not badly affected.  But Kathmandu and the Valley suffered greatly - much of Nepal’s cultural heritage buildings and temples were lost or severely damaged – particularly some of the buildings in Nepal’s Durbar Squares.  See the before and after photographs below.  At this stage we do not know when it will be sensible to visit as a tourist- but we will continue to monitor the situation.  

Biometrics deferred until further notice

Further to my blogs about the changes to the Indian Visa process there is now more clarification to be found on the VFS Global website.  They confirm that the collection of ‘biometric data’ has been deferred until further notice but the scheduling of appointments is now mandatory.  Postal applications are still accepted – select ‘London’ as the mission and send to their Hounslow Centre (this is for all postal application no matter where in the UK you live).