Indian passport is gaining strength on the global index as more and more countries are offering visa on arrival and visa-free entry to Indians. As per the 2019 Global Passport Index, the Indian passport has steadily strengthened its position over the past five years. It has jumped from 77th position in 2015 to 66th position as on April 16th, 2019.
The Passport Index is an online tool which collects and displays the ranks of the passports of the world. It is the only real-time global ranking of the world’s passports updates frequently when new visa waivers and changes are implemented.
It is worth mentioning here that 25 countries now allow visa-free entry to Indian passport holders, whereas 39 nations offer visa-on-arrival. Indian Passport holders required to obtain Visa to 134 countries as of today. As per the reports, more and more countries are opening up to Indian tourists after realising the increasing spending power of its citizens.
As per an official in the know-how, one of the reasons helping the Indian passport to strengthen its spot is the fact that foreign governments do not view Indian travellers with suspicion and are now becoming more and more welcoming to Indian tourists.
The Tourism Ministry for India is also offering e-tourist visa facilities to 166 countries, following a number of amendments in the e-visa regime of the country in order to make this process more tourist friendly. It is also expected that with such developments, the number of foreign tourist arrival will also double up by 2021.
However, with all these developments, India is still behind many countries as per the global index, such as Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Thus, with India raising its bar in the index, the future looks more bright for Indian passport.
