Indian tourists are now eligible to travel to the Philippines visa-free, after the latter’s authorities have decided to offer types of visa waivers to citizens of India.
The decision has been confirmed by authorities in the Philippines, VisaGuide.World reports.
It means that holders of passports issued in India can now enter the Philippines visa-free for a period of 14 days, provided the purpose of their travel is tourism.
It has been emphasized that Indian tourists entering the Philippines through this scheme can neither extend their stay beyond 14 days nor convert it into another type of visa.
Besides, Indian nationals are also eligible to get a 30-day non-extendable visa-free entry for tourism purposes if they obtain valid visas or residence permits for the following countries: Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
In addition to the following countries, Indians can get a 30-day non-extendable visa-free entry for tourism if they obtain a valid visa or residency permit issued by the EU’s Schengen Zone countries, or more specifically:
Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Malta, Norway, The Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The country’s e-visa facility will also be eligible.
India Became Among Focus Market for the Philippines.
In 2024, while the Philippines registered its highest tourism receipts at nearly $13 billion, it also experienced a decline in the number of tourists from China. The figures from last year revealed that just 300,000 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines compared to the target of 2 million.
Previously, the tourism secretary of the Republic of the Philippines, Christina Garcia Frasco, said that the Philippines learned a lesson that is to diversify its dependency into other markets.
The lesson that we learned from that is to really diversify our dependency into other markets as well.” India has now become one of the focus markets for the Philippines.
She also hopes that direct flights between India and the Philippines will start soon, according to a report by Skift.
In this regard, the country director- India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, Gaurav Malik, at online travel platform Agoda, said that the Philippines’ decision to grant visa-free entry to Indian travelers considers India as a key market for tourism.
Malik also said that the move also shows the increasing interest of Indian travelers in Southeast Asia as a whole.