So after doing their utmost to discourage us.............they now want to woo us.
Wish they'd make their minds up
Fizz

Link http://www.navhindtimes.in/goa-news/state-officials-woo-brits

thanks for putting the url on I have not made enough posts to have done it myself.

Pity we will be in Goa, as if it came to our town I would be the first in the queue to ask how they expected visitors with the visa situation, and property issued.

Hopefully, the Minister will be inundated with people bringing up the problems of visa application, whether he reacts.....only time will tell, but don't hold your breath.

I think that the roadshows are a great idea , it will hopefully attract more holidaymakers to Goa .
Someone mentioned their were problems with Visas !! I personally have never found it a problem , usually only takes 4-5 days for the tourist visa from Wilton Rd ,Victoria , although I do go in person. Is the problem with the postal method ?
Anyway , good luck to the Goan Tourist Board , in their venture.

Yes there is a problem with postal applications, as they all have to go through VFS Global some people have had various problems. The main problem that people have though is the 2 month ruling, this has stopped a lot of people visiting Goa perhaps twice a season therefor having an opposite effect on tourism in Goa.

Fair Point Bindoo , but surely that wont affect a lot of people .

I don't know Mahal but it sure as hell won't do a lot to encourage tourists, bearing in mind that the visa application form is as clear as mud to the novice.

Bindoo -- you have lost me , what is so complicated about the Visa form , its pretty straight forward in my opinion , and wouldnt in any way put off a prospective holidaymaker from going to Goa , I think that it is a step in the right direction by the Goa tourist board having roadshow events in the UK , and I for one think that it will bear fruit for them.

I for one would much prefer to get my visa on arrival in Goa as you do in Turkey as at the moment I am going to have to go at short notice and am worrying what to put on my visa as I have no accommodation booked and it asks where you will be staying!

goadreamer , why dont you just put down Hotel AOA , Calangute/Candolim/Baga , or whatever town you are going to stay in .
That way , you are being honest with your application.
AOA -- allocated on arrival.
Otherwise , just put down any old Hotel .

Whils most online hear are computer literate, please dont assume that everyone is, and to anyone without computer skills, I can assure Mahal, the applying for a visa on line would be a very great disinsentive, if not an impossible hurdle to any visit to India.
Alan

Mahal, I personally have no problem with the application form, but I am a member of another forum and each year there's a number of people that are totally perplexed by the form. For example, the HCI state that you should not finalise any plans until you receive your visa, then on the form it asks for two referees in India, as well as a sponsor. Now to somebody who's applying for a visa for the first time, they're not sure which way to turn for an answer. Not to mention the job situation, there are certain professions that the authorities consider to be suspect, by that I mean they think that they're going over to India to work ie Police officers, and Nurses and various other professions.
These and many other items are as clear as mud, and a great deal of people are stressing themselves out over the application form.
It makes you think how many people look at the form and say forget it we'll go somewhere else.

Mahal
I think you'd be surprised just how many people have been/are being affected by the '2 month rule'.
Lots of discussion on here and on Tripadvisor about it.

I agree with Bindoobaba and Gramps about the visa application process.
Although we're used to completing the forms and don't have an issue with it, it still took me & my OH an hour to complete 2 applications on-line.
And as Bindoobaba says, you only have to read some of the posts to realise just how confusing some people find some of the questions.

I hope this visit to the WTM is not just paying lip-service (or a good excuse for a 'jolly').

Historically some of the decisions made about the visa application process and the lack of notice in implementing changes have created MASSIVE problems for visitors.
Remember the suspension of postal applications a couple of years ago?
Resulted in rioting in the CGI Birmingham and Bradford visa surgery, people queuing from 5am in the morning at many visa surgeries.
And of course the '2 month rule' which was brought in at very short notice resulting in lots of people losing lots of money on holidays & flights already booked.
And the debacle of shack licences in previous years has put some people off holidaying early in the season.

All these are things that the Tourism Minister should be addressing if he wishes to 'woo back us Brits'.

prettypollycat, I think you are getting your issues confused . The purpose of the road shows are to try and encourage "holidaymakers" to visit Goa , ie people who just want a 1/2/3/ wk holiday .
Also ,all of the things that you state that the Tourism Minister should be addressing in order to Woo back Brits , are Historical , and have already been addressed.
I stiil dont see the problem with the Visa application process , and to suggest as someone did , that a policeman or a nurse would have a problem getting a Visa , is just pure nonsence , I know a few nurses and police , who regularly holiday in Goa.
However , I do agree that a Visa on arrival scheme could be beneficial , which is probably what we will end up with ( 30 days like the Russains) .

Mahal
I'm certainly not getting my issues confused, I'm well aware of the purpose of the roadshows.

I'm a 3 week holidaymaker to Goa - and have been for the last 6 years, although I first visited in 1994.

I used to go twice a year, late Nov/Dec and again in mid January.
The 2 month rule means that I can no longer do that - as can't many other UK tourists who used to take 2 holidays a year.

The shack licence issue MAY have been addressed for this year but there's nothing to convince me that it's been resolved permanently - unless you have information that I'm not aware of.

My quote below:

Historically some of the decisions made about the visa application process and the lack of notice in implementing changes have created MASSIVE problems for visitors.

I have no confidence that changes will not be made again at short notice - and it's these things that make prospective tourists to Goa slightly uneasy about committing to a holiday there, especially those who know about historical problems with visas.

Your quote:

I stiil dont see the problem with the Visa application process , and to suggest as someone did , that a policeman or a nurse would have a problem getting a Visa , is just pure nonsence , I know a few nurses and police , who regularly holiday in Goa.

Although you may not see getting a visa as a problem, certain professions (including police and media) DO have more trouble getting visas than 'ordinary' people.
They have to supply letters from their employer stating that they will not undertake work whilst in Goa.
This is not clear on the VFS website and I know that it has caused people in those professions stress - exactly as Bindoobaba has said.
Some of those people in those professions have only been granted a 3 month visa (even thought they have requested (and paid for) a 6 month visa), which again has caused problems for those people who like to take 2 x 2 or 3 week holidays each season.
It is NOT nonsense (pure or otherwise) - it's a fact.
I suggest you read the Visa thread on here and the many visa threads on Tripadvisor to get an idea of just what problems people are encountering.
Like you and Bindoobaba, I've not had any issues with the process.
But just because I haven't, I'm not dismissing the very real problems that some people HAVE had.

An interesting article in today's Goa Herald.

http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Stringent-visa-norms-hit-Goa-tourist-inflow/42722.html

Where it says about a one month break between holidays and then having to re-apply for a new visa and only 3 month visas being issued, is this just for Poland or is this for all countries????

Maybe the rules have changed yet again at short notice!

Squigs - good link to an article that I think says it all about the 'tinkering' with visa rules.

The tourism industry fears that if the Central Ministry does not modify the formalities, these tourists will be re-routed to another tourist destination

Absolutely spot-on.

I think India needs to decide if it really wants to welcome tourists or not - before the tourists get fed up of all the chopping and changing regarding visa regulations and vote with their feet.

prettypollycat , Well , Im not wanting to get into an arguement with you , but I am afraid that you are indeed confusing your issues ,certainly within the context of this thread .
Something that has to be borne in mind , whilst discussing Visa matters is that the Tourist Board of Goa , is not the Govt of India , although I dare say they would quite happily take on the role.
Your comment re Media ( journalists) is mis-leading ,in that if a journalist wants to visit India , in a Media capacity , well they have to apply for the relevant appropriate Visa Category.
A journalist coming as a tourist , needs to apply for a tourist Visa , and does not need to provide a letter stating that they wont work whilst on Holiday , why would you have to provide a letter stating that you wont work , when you have applied for a tourist Visa !!
The Policemen that I know who Holiday regularly in Goa , have never had any issues/problems with obtaining a Visa.
A lot of the " problems" raised re Visas , which cause people on this board anxiety , are based on "urban myths" or by having difficulty ,and I am sorry but it has to be said by failing to comprehend the VFS website , and that failure is mainly caused because they are looking for problems which dont actually in reality exist .