Overseas destinations courting Indian travellers with simplified visa regimes are reaping immediate rewards. Fresh data compiled by leading Indian tour operators and reported on 16 November show arrivals from India up by more than 40 percent year-on-year in Russia, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Georgia and Thailand. In many cases the spike coincides with new visa-waiver or fast-track e-visa schemes rolled out during 2025.
Examples abound: • Russia introduced a single-entry e-visa for Indians in August. • Vietnam cut processing times to three days. • Japan started accepting digital bank statements instead of hard-copy certificates, halving paperwork. Travel-booking platform TravelTriangle says searches for Moscow packages are up 62 percent since September, while MakeMyTrip reports Hanoi bookings have doubled.
Conversely, Indian foot-fall to Azerbaijan and Turkey dropped sharply after both countries publicly backed Pakistan during India’s “Operation Sindoor” counter-terror offensive. Tour operators cite a 35 percent fall in queries for Baku and Istanbul.
![Relaxed Visa Rules Abroad Spark 40 % Surge in Indian Outbound Tourism]()
Economic impact: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) estimates outbound Indian tourists will spend USD 17 billion in 2025, with relaxed visa processes accounting for at least USD 2 billion of incremental spend. Airlines are reacting quickly—IndiGo launched daily Delhi-Almaty and Mumbai-Tbilisi flights, while Air India is evaluating direct service to Vladivostok.
Corporate mobility angle: Eased entry rules also benefit Indian project teams executing short-term assignments in these countries, particularly IT-services and construction firms bidding on energy and infrastructure projects in Russia and Southeast Asia. Mobility managers should review duty-of-care protocols, especially given the geopolitical tensions that also influence destination preferences.
Take-away: Visa liberalisation is proving to be the single biggest lever for attracting Indian travellers—whether tourists or short-term consultants—and countries perceived as India-friendly are reaping the rewards.
Examples abound: • Russia introduced a single-entry e-visa for Indians in August. • Vietnam cut processing times to three days. • Japan started accepting digital bank statements instead of hard-copy certificates, halving paperwork. Travel-booking platform TravelTriangle says searches for Moscow packages are up 62 percent since September, while MakeMyTrip reports Hanoi bookings have doubled.
Conversely, Indian foot-fall to Azerbaijan and Turkey dropped sharply after both countries publicly backed Pakistan during India’s “Operation Sindoor” counter-terror offensive. Tour operators cite a 35 percent fall in queries for Baku and Istanbul.
Economic impact: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) estimates outbound Indian tourists will spend USD 17 billion in 2025, with relaxed visa processes accounting for at least USD 2 billion of incremental spend. Airlines are reacting quickly—IndiGo launched daily Delhi-Almaty and Mumbai-Tbilisi flights, while Air India is evaluating direct service to Vladivostok.
Corporate mobility angle: Eased entry rules also benefit Indian project teams executing short-term assignments in these countries, particularly IT-services and construction firms bidding on energy and infrastructure projects in Russia and Southeast Asia. Mobility managers should review duty-of-care protocols, especially given the geopolitical tensions that also influence destination preferences.
Take-away: Visa liberalisation is proving to be the single biggest lever for attracting Indian travellers—whether tourists or short-term consultants—and countries perceived as India-friendly are reaping the rewards.
