India and Pak to issue visas to group tourists

AGRA, Aug 6 (UNI): India and Pakistan have decided to issue 15-day visas for group tourists from both the countries and extend visas to individuals after reviewing the success of the group scheme after six months.

This was decided at a meeting between officials of the two countries in New Delhi this week, Pakistan Tourism and Culture Secretary Jalil Abbas, who led the Pakistan delegation, told mediapersons here today.

The decision would be implemented after working out the modalities in a month, he said, adding that the visas would be issued for 15 days for a tourist group of 15 to 100 people.

Abbas said an agreement already existed between the two countries, signed in the 1990s, on the exchange of tourist groups.

However, the agreement has not been implemented so far, he added.

Terming as immense the potential of both India and Pakistan in domestic tourism, he said the issuance of group tourist visas would result in a huge flow of tourists to both the countries.

The issue of extending visas to individual tourists would be discussed after six montbs on the basis of the success of the group visa scheme, Abbas said.

"Both India and Pakistan want to create a environment to sustain such a dialogue." Abbas, who earlier addressed the delegates of the 20th session of Indian Association of Tour Operators(IATO), said the tour operators and travel agents would be allowed to travel to Pakistan on a visiting visa.

He said Pakistan was willing to discuss any proposal for the establishment of institutional links with the Pakistan Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management in Karachi and Pakistan-Austrian Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management in Swat.

Abbas said 600,000 foreign tourists visited Pakistan every year.