The new Schengen visa regime, which gives frequent Indian travellers access to multi-year visas for up to 5 years, will increase the outbound travel from India to European destinations, said travel industry mavens.
According to the newly adopted visa cascade regime for India, Indian nationals can now be issued long-term multi-entry Schengen visas valid for two years after having obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years.
During the validity period of these visas, Indians can enter and exit Schengen countries multiple times without the need for separate visas.
"To qualify for a two-year visa, Indians must have obtained and used two visas within the previous three years. After this, if their passport has sufficient validity remaining, they can typically receive a five-year visa. The new rules simplify the process of obtaining a visa, especially for frequent travellers, which could encourage more Indians to visit Schengen countries," Jyoti Mayal, Vice Chairperson, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), said.
The Schengen Area includes 29 European countries that have abolished their internal borders to allow the free and unrestricted movement of people. Most EU countries are within the Schengen Area except Ireland and Cyprus which will soon be part of it.
The new Schengen visa cascade ruling will lead to repeat visits and the expectation is that it will expand travel between India and the Schengen region across all categories of travellers – leisure, business and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), said Madhavan Menon, Executive Chairman, Thomas Cook India Group.
"This (more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians) will mean more trips to Europe by Indians. A lot of people choose trips to short-haul or visa-free countries for their trips to avoid visa hassles. A lot of them will shift to Europe with a multiple-entry Schengen visa," said Vijay Kesavan- Founder and CEO, StampThePassport, an online visa consultancy service.
Increase in outbound travel
Schengen countries play a significant role in India’s outbound travel market and Europe, which includes many Schengen countries, sees about 20 percent of the travellers from India’s outbound traffic, Mayal said.
The visitor count from India to Europe has not recovered from the pandemic low and is around 35 percent below pre-Covid levels, pointed out digital visa solutions provider DUDigital global CEO, Manoj Dharmani, who expects the tourist arrivals from India to reach pre-pandemic level in 2023-2024.
"The outbound travel from India to Schengen countries will increase because the travel appetite of Indians has increased. More Indians are going abroad and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is the first choice. With multiple entries in Schengen for two years, travellers can cover many more destinations and they don't have to apply for visas again and again. And due to this, there will be a shift from ASEAN to Schengen. We will see more leisure and business travel to Schengen countries," he said.
Europe's adoption of the more favourable visa rules comes at a time when the summer holiday season is around the corner and this will help boost outflow of Indians to these destinations, noted Rajiv Mehra, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO).
Friends, relatives to benefit more
One of the biggest beneficiaries will be the visiting friends and relatives segment, also known as the VFR segment.
"The new rules will help a lot of VFR movement because they will not have to keep reapplying for a visa, which is cumbersome," said Santhosh Kanna S, Senior Vice-president, Leisure Travel, Thomas Cook.
He added that the new visa rules will reduce the hassle for regular travellers. "The new rules would provide longer visa validities to repeat travellers to the Schengen countries, by allowing them to quickly decide and travel on a holiday, instead of having to plan the visa processing timelines as is the current situation. For example, we are in April and someone holding a longer validity Schengen visa can book their tour and travel instead of planning to travel in end-May or in June."
Long trips, less wait time
Also, the Schengen visa situation this year is far better than 2023, an official of a travel platform said.
"For some Schengen countries, getting visa appointment dates has become far better. For example, it takes around three weeks to get a visa appointment date for Switzerland whereas last year it was over 2.5 months wait time. Higher wait time was due to capacity challenges at consulates, which have become better. Manpower has increased, there are extra hands on the deck so more visa applications are being processed."
Schengen countries are among the most popular destinations for Indian travellers with a high preference for destinations like France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, among others. But visa delays for these countries have been one of the biggest hurdles limiting tourism growth, said Mayal.
Mehra noted that the possibility of the Schengen visa's extension up to 5 years (if the passport is valid), indicates that the world wishes to draw Indian travellers.
"The boom in outbound travel from India is expected to continue for at least a decade, with the economy set to grow rapidly, leading to an increase in outbound tourists from India each year," Mayal said.
Travel trends have also changed with more long-haul destinations making a comeback in the travel plans of Indian travellers.
"People were taking short holidays due to the Covid impact to avoid any sort of uncertainty. People's confidence was not there for long-haul destinations. So, we saw a shift from long (haul destinations) to short. The trend is now going back if we look at airline bookings," said Dharmani, who feels the favourable Schengen visa rules will encourage more Indian travellers to holiday in destinations in Europe.
Some challenges
However, Mohak Nahta, CEO at visa platform Atlys, said that the rules have been in effect for a long time but are not always followed, especially in India.
"The cascade regime has been there for quite some time but what has changed is that they are making it more mandatory. Some consulates followed it but most did not. If someone had travelled 10 times in the last 2-3 years, for the 11th time there was no guarantee they would get a multi-year visa. Now, they are trying to make it friendlier,” the official cited above said.
Also, some factors that could affect travel to Schengen countries despite the favourable visa rule are elections in India, and geopolitical tensions across the globe, among others.
"Appointments for Schengen countries are a challenge as there is the capping of submissions. There is also a delay in the turnaround time of passports. Also, the high cost of air tickets due to the closure of the Iran-Iraq airspace. Many European and Asian airlines fly over the region on their way between a number of popular destinations and they have expressed concerns that the necessary rerouting will prolong flight times and add to fuel costs," Mayal said.
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