Incredible India...

Unwelcoming India??

Well India has been ranked the fourth top travel destination in a group of 100 but on the other hand the World Bank has ranked India an abysmal 134 among 175 countries for doing business. The different takes on India by the two surveys are, however, not contradictory. India’s high ranking among travellers merely reflects its attraction as a tourist destination. But unfortunately that doesn’t translate into real footfalls. That just goes to show that India, despite its size and diversity, is lagging far behind other Asian countries let alone European destinations. Similar trends are visible in foreign investment. Last year, China was the developing world’s top investment destination with $79 billion. India was way behind at $6.7 billion. The reasons for India’s poor showing in both tourism and FDI boil down to one thing — sarkari red tape.

There are several obstacles that trip up foreigners keen on visiting India. Most visitors will tell you that getting an Indian visa is no mean task. Processing visas is low on the priority of Indian embassies across the world. New Delhi hasn’t yet realised that selling India is the diplomat’s primary work, and a smooth issuing of visas is integral to that. The travails of visitors do not stop there. When they arrive in India they are up against a system that is hostile to outsiders. The archaic Registration of Foreigner Act has a clause that makes it necessary for foreigners to report their passport and visa details to the foreigner registration officer. If a foreigner is staying with friends, his particulars have to be reported to the nearest police station. Such draconian measures are sure to put off tourists, besides being out of place in a democracy. For potential foreign investors the road is no less difficult. Starting a business in India, according to the World Bank study, is an 11-stage process that takes 35 days. This takes just two days in Australia. The tariff structure in India is also one of the most complicated. So before we pop the champagne on India’s good showing in the travel survey, it is important we take away the right lessons.