With 2 New Consulates, USA Eyes Indian Tourists - Asia’s Highest Source of International Travelers

In 2022, a report was released by IPK International which announced India’s position as the top-most contributor of international tourists from Asia. By 2023, this number has only increased and it seems that many countries, United States of America in particular plan to tap into this opportunity. As more Indians pack their bags without hesitation, the US has announced two new consulates in India. This was one among the many things announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much publicized visit to the US. The PM, on his official state visit, also met numerous top executives on Friday as they try to increase their investments in this country.

Many American reports say that the US is working towards making it easier for Indians to live and work in the country. Tourism consultancy, IPK International’s analysis also delved into how Indian tourists exceeded those from China, South Korea and Japan last year.

According to the joint statements by US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two new US consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. The leaders also directed officials to create extra mechanisms to smoothen travel for business, tourism, and professional and technical exchange between the two countries.

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US Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office’s report says that in the first five months of 2023, travel from India to the US has exceeded pre-pandemic volumes. This, at the time when other Asian countries are lagging behind, especially China. In 2022, India was ranked third among overseas travelers in the US. This position was a climb up from eighth where it was in 2019.

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A Reuters report added that US embassies and consulates in India have issued 44% more non-immigrant visas in 2023 than in the same period in 2019. The State Department representative also added that the US is on course to process more than one million visas this year. “Our consular teams have been making a huge push to process as many visa applications as possible in India. This is a top priority for our government,” the official was quoted as saying.

Major Indian airlines are also stepping into the big game. India’s iconic Air India recently launched non-stop service from Mumbai to New York and San Francisco and from Bengaluru to San Francisco. This can be corroborated with the fact that flight bookings from India to the US for the last quarter of 2023 are 26% higher than pre-pandemic levels, as per ForwardKeys, a travel data firm.