To boost tourism, Philippines mulling lifting visa requirement for Indians

With the aim to attract more tourists from India, the Philippines authorities are considering lifting visa requirements for Indians on an experimental basis for a year.

New Delhi: With the aim to attract more tourists from India, the Philippines authorities are considering lifting visa requirements for Indians on an experimental basis for a year.

This was told by Phillippines Tourism Minister Ramon R Jimenez who met his Indian counterpart Mahesh Sharma here on Thursday, according to a release.

The Philippines delegation led by Jimenez also highlighted the difficulty of connectivity between the two countries and requested Sharma to take it up on a priority basis.

The meeting of Tourism Ministers of both the countries were held along with senior officials.

Both the sides discussed ways to promote two-way exchange in the tourism sector. Various issues ranging from connectivity, infrastructure, and hospitality and hotel management education were discussed in the meeting.

Jimenez said the Philippines has a lot to offer in the area of Human Resource Development because of the presence of several good institutes on tourism, hospitality, restaurant and hotel management.

The Philippines Tourism Minister said his country is exploring the possibility of lifting visa requirements for Indians on an experimental basis for 2015-16.

Sharma highlighted the recent steps taken by the Indian government to promote tourism like 'Visa on Arrival' and addressing issues like cleanliness, safety and security among others.

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