Originally Posted by
jasepl
If only that a couple of you stated above were the reasons or even if those reasons were an actual problem in the grand scheme of things.
The whole business resulted from construction companies bringing in Chinese labourers under tourist visas. Surely there are other, more sensible ways to address that problem than to stick the same restrictions on everyone. It's silly enough that we demand a visa of everyone in the first place, but to then add this additional impediment (that's still not 100% clear and is not applied consistently) is just dumb.
Let's face it, we really can't afford to turn away a single tourist.
On the contrary, I am all for eliminating visa restrictions completely for a big chunk of the world (all of Europe, nearly all of East and Southeast Asia, the whole Western Hemisphere, all the littla Pacific islands...)
The visa application process helps not just screen visa applicants but also serves as a source of revenue for MEA.
I don't really think we are turning back many tourists. Most people who want to visit India really want to visit it and are willing to get an Indian visa. This is atleast the case in N America, western Europe. I'm not that familiar with SE Asia and the Orient - I admit things could be different for visitors from those countries.
I think the only visitors we are losing with this visa requirement are those who choose not to transit for a couple of days through India. While it does suck to lose these visitors, I think these losses are outweighed by the monetary and other benefits we get from having a visa system.