However, despite all these efforts, the inherent realities still affect the prospects of international travellers when it comes to visiting the country.
We speak to Ravi Gosain, President, IATO, who shares 5 hurdles that international tourists still face when travelling in India.
2 / 6 Visa Processes Still Need to be SimplifiedThough the introduction of e-visas has made visiting India easier, the experience is still not hassle-free for everyone.
Several visitors face limited visa categories from their countries, varying documentation requirements, and different timelines of processing.
While some parts of India provide tourist services of high quality, the overall experience depends on the location, leading to inconsistency in visitors’ impressions.
Last Updated: July 30, 2026, 20:39 IST
1 / 6 India has become one of the most sought-after destinations for travel in the world. So much so that even celebrities like Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Dua Lipa and more have been making trips to the country to experience what is on offer. From mountains to palaces and beaches to deserts, the country is blessed with varied landscapes. Over the years, several initiatives from the government, such as e-visas, heritage restoration, establishing regional medical hubs and even prominent campaigns like Chalo India, have improved accessibility and made travel all the more easy. However, despite all these efforts, the inherent realities still affect the prospects of international travellers when it comes to visiting the country. We speak to Ravi Gosain, President, IATO, who shares 5 hurdles that international tourists still face when travelling in India.
2 / 6 Visa Processes Still Need to be Simplified
Though the introduction of e-visas has made visiting India easier, the experience is still not hassle-free for everyone. Several visitors face limited visa categories from their countries, varying documentation requirements, and different timelines of processing. Moreover, compared to some competing destinations with either the possibility of visa on arrival or visa-free entry options, India’s entry rules still look complex.
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3 / 6 Air Connectivity is a Bottleneck
Much can be said regarding air travel to India as it can sometimes be costly and cumbersome for travelers. Although such major airports as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai have good connectivity, this automatically does not put India in a good position as a destination; it has a limited number of flights from such growing source markets as Thailand and Vietnam.
4 / 6 Infrastructure Shortcomings Are Impacting Visitor Experience
The infrastructure for tourism in India has improved quite a lot, however the problem of consistency persists. Travellers often face poor last-mile connectivity, limited availability of transport to heritage sites, weak multilingual signages, and different levels of quality of tourism amenities. Clean public toilets, reliable information centres, and facilities that can cater to the needs of people with disabilities are missing in a lot of places. While some parts of India provide tourist services of high quality, the overall experience depends on the location, leading to inconsistency in visitors’ impressions.
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5 / 6 Improvement in Digital Convenience is Needed
India is among the leaders of the world in terms of digital payments, but foreign tourists often do not manage to enjoy this very ecosystem fully. Many international cards are not accepted everywhere, and the usage of local digital payment systems may pose a challenge for those who do not have Indian bank accounts or Indian phone numbers. Besides payment issues, visitors require easy access to integrated travel information and booking systems so that they can feel more confident.
