By- Tom- 90 mins to 3 hours for VOA? That is quite a long time. I have done VOA in several countries and I think 90 mins would be the longest time for me.
However, it looks like it will be pre authorised if the government get what they want so hopefully things would speed up. They do need to do something to boost tourism. We are only looking at Goa here but anyone who wants to visit India has to jump through hoops at the moment. It does make you think if you could be bothered. Also, Goa is a cheap destination compared to other parts of India so the leap in visa fees we have had is a definite tipping point.
Overall, if the fees can come down, the tourist numbers will increase. Those who have never been to Goa have no real idea about how ridiculously cheap it is. So they can't, in their head, offset this with the visa price. It just looks expensive. I am paying £28 a night for our hotel and I know that is expensive- how many folks going elsewhere would expect to pay the same for a hotel which has a large room, seating area, balcony, AC, pool, bar, breakfast, free wifi? It just doesn't happen. But folks wont realise how cheap things are as they wont look past the visa fees and carry on getting the thing in the first place.

If I was given the choice of VOA or apply in advance for an Indian Visa, I think I would choose to stick with the current system. I know we all moan about it, but at least once that visa is in your passport, you know it has been pre-approved.

I think the queues at the airport for VOA would be horrendous, but if you had the option of either system, it would keep both camps happy.