OUTBOUND TOURISM

Outbound tourism is growing at the rate of 25% touching 6.2 million in 2006-07
booking increased to 30% compared to the corresponding period in the previous
year Domestic tourism has also witnessed an annual growth of 20% from 2006 to
2007.

POPULAR SEGMENTS

Two segments in domestic tourism which have been showing exceptional upward
turn are Medical tourism and adventure tourism. India is rapidly growing into a
major health destination, targeting one million additional medical tourists by 2010.
These arrivals are expected to increase foreign exchange up to Rs. 5000-10000
crore.
India has also become known for adventure tourism with the excellent facilities
that it offers for Water sports, Trekking, rock Climbing, mountaineering, Aero
sports, Safaris, Motor Sports etc.
Two million tourists are participating in adventure tourism annually. The market is
growing at 35% but given the right impetus, it can attract another half a million
foreign adventure tourists and the domestic adventure tourism market can see a 10-
fold growth in the next five years.

Document Required for Outbound Tour:

Passport: A passport is a travel document issued by a national

government that usually identifies the bearer as a national of the
issuing state and requests that the bearer be permitted to enter and
pass through other countries.
Passports are connected with the right of legal protection abroad and the right to
enter one's country of nationality. Passports usually contain the holder's
photograph, signature, date of birth, nationality, and sometimes other means of
individual identification. Many countries are in the process of developing
biometric properties for their passports in order to further confirm that the person
presenting the passport is the legitimate holder.
Types of passport:

1) - Ordinary Passports are the normal passports issued to most citizens and have
no special connotations.

2)-Diplomatic Passports are issued to diplomats and diplomatic representatives of a

home country, and other state employees according to the rules of a particular
country. Having a Diplomatic passport does not necessarily accord the bearer
diplomatic immunity. Some countries' visa requirements may have different
requirements for Diplomatic and non-Diplomatic passports.

3)-Official or Service Passports are issued to employees (or "Technical and

Administrative Staff Members") of a government traveling for work related reasons
who either do not qualify as Diplomats or are not entitled to Diplomatic Status under
the Vienna Convention.

4)-Special Passports are issued to high-ranking state officers and their dependents
as a means of officially guaranteeing their sustenance to have them exempted from
visa requirements.

5)-A collective passport may be issued, for example, for a school trip. All children
on the trip would be covered by the group passport for the duration of the trip.

6)-Internal passports have been issued by some countries, as a means of

controlling the movement of the population. Examples include the iqama in Saudi
Arabia, the Soviet internal passport system, and the hukou residency registration
system used in the People's Republic of China.

7)-Emergency or Temporary Passports are issued to persons whose original

passport has been lost or stolen and who need to urgently travel.

8) -Business Passports are passports with extra pages issued to frequent travelers.

9)-Family Passports are passports that are not issued to individuals but to family
units.
 Visa: is an authorized given by a state to a foreigner to enter its territory for
a designated period and for a special purpose. It is not equivalent to a
passport and it differs in as much as it is issued by the country to which or
through which the visitor will travel out not by the state of which he is a
national.

Types of Visa:

1) - Tourist Visa
Is given for 6 months normally; rest specifically depends on the country of
residence. The applicant is required to produce / submit documents in proof of his
financial standing.

2) - Business
Visa is valid for one or more years up to 5 years with multiple entries. A letter
from a sponsoring organization indicating nature of business, probable duration of
stay, places and organization to be visited, incorporating therein a guarantee to
meet maintenance expenses, etc. should accompany the application.

3)-Student Visa
Are issued for the duration of the academic course of study or for a period of five
years whichever is less, on the basis of firm letters of admission from universities /
recognized colleges or educational institution in India. Change of purpose and
institutions are not permissible.

3)-Transit Visa
Are issued for a maximum period of 15 days with single / double entry facilities to
bona fide transit passengers only.

4)-Visa To Missionaries
Are valid for single entry and duration as permitted by government of India. A
letter in triplicate from sponsoring organization indicating intended destination in
India, probable length of stay and nature of duties to be discharged should be
submitted along with guarantee for applicants maintenance while in India.

5)-Journalist Visa
Are issued to professional journalists and photographers for visiting India. The
applicant are required to contact on arrival in New Delhi, the external publicity
division of the ministry of external affairs and in other places, the office of the
government of Indias Press Information bureaus.

6)-Conference Visa
Are issued for attending conferences / seminars / meeting in India. A letter of
invitation from the organizer of the conference is to be submitted along with the
visa application. Delegates coming to attend conference may combine tourism with
attending conferences.

7)-Employment Visa
Are issued to skilled and qualified professionals or person who are engaged or
appointed by the companies, organizations, economic undertakings a technicians
technical export, senior executives, etc. Applicants are required to submit proof of
contract / employment / engagement of foreigner nationals by the company or
organization. Initially granted for a period of one year, it can be extended in India
up to the period of contract.

8)-Collective Visa
The facility also exists for the issues of collective visas to group tours consisting of
not less than four members and sponsored by a travel agency recognized by the
government of India. Such groups may split into smaller groups for visiting
different places in India after obtaining a collective license to travel from the
immigration authorities in India. However, they must reassemble and depart as the
original group.