Visa-free entry boosts travel to Philippines; online searches from India jump 28%; surge led by couples, first-time travelers
AI image
NEW DELHI: Travel searches for the Philippines have surged among Indian tourists after the country announced visa-free entry for Indian passport holders, allowing stays of up to 14 days.
According to visa processing platform Atlys, searches from India for travel to the Philippines jumped 28% after the update.
Before the announcement, the country ranked eighth among the most searched Southeast Asian destinations by Indian travellers on Atlys. It has now jumped to third place, just behind Thailand and Indonesia.
According to travel platform Atlys, searches for the Philippines jumped 28% soon after the announcement, and a sustained 20–30% increase in demand is expected over the coming months.
"After the announcement, it swiftly climbed to third place, trailing only Thailand and Indonesia. The sudden repositioning underscores the significant impact visa accessibility can have on destination interest, particularly within India's fast-growing outbound travel market," Atlys said in a statement on Tuesday.
Data from Atlys shows that the surge is mainly driven by couples and honeymooners, who account for 42% of all recent Philippines-related searches.
Solo travellers make up 27%, primarily from metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. Families represent another 21%, with many planning multi-stop itineraries that combine beach destinations like Palawan and Cebu with the city attractions of Manila, reported PTI.
The policy change has also opened doors for first-time international travellers, who are increasingly seeing the Philippines as a viable and attractive destination without the hassle of visa applications.
The Philippines officially joined a growing list of countries offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to Indian tourists on Sunday. Others in this group include Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka (free e-visa), Seychelles, Indonesia (visa on arrival), Maldives, Nepal, and Hong Kong (with online pre-clearance), according to Anil Kalsi, Vice President of the Travel Agents Federation of India.
"Indian nationals may enter the Philippines without a visa for a non-extendible and non-convertible period of 14 days for tourism purposes, upon presenting a passport valid for at least six months beyond the contemplated stay, confirmed hotel accommodation/ booking, proof of financial capacity, and return or onward ticket to the next country of destination," the website of the Philippines embassy in New Delhi said.
"Indian nationals holding valid and current American, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, Schengen, Singapore or United Kingdom (AJACSSUK) visas or residence permits may enter the Philippines without a visa for a non-extendible period of 30 days for tourism, upon presenting a passport valid for at least six months beyond the contemplated stay, and return or onward ticket to the next country of destination," it added.
Adding to the momentum, Air India will launch direct flights between Delhi and Manila starting October 1, 2025, improving travel access.
Stay informed with the latest
business
news, updates on
bank holidays
and
public holidays
.
AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Homeward bound: City prof starts 1.5k km journey to Mashhad to escape from Iran
Kolkata: It is a race against time for geography professor Falguni Dey to travel from Astara to Mashhad, through the war-ravaged Iran, where India has already started an evacuation operation. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It'll be a 1,500 km, 22-hour long journey to Mashhad from where Dey is currently camping now. Hopeful of getting entry through the Nurduz-Agarak border to Armenia, which has allowed hundreds of Indians to cross the border and head back home, Dey had applied for an e-visa with the country. On Friday late evening, Armenia declined his visa application, leaving Dey hapless and desperate. Azerbaijan, which has also been allowing foreign nationals, kept silent on his application as well. Desperate to escape Iran, Dey called up an official at the Indian embassy in Tehran on Friday night. "He suggested I reach Mashhad somehow as the Indian authorities have already started evacuating from there. There is no other way out for me. It is going to be nearly a 1,500 km journey from the northwest of Iran to the west of the country," Dey told TOI over phone. India launched Operation Sindhu earlier this week to evacuate Indians stranded in Iran after Tehran agreed to lift airspace restrictions as a "special gesture". During the evacuation operation, India evacuated 517 nationals from Iran by Saturday morning. Mashhad is close to Iran's border with Turkmenistan, and India started evacuating through a safe air corridor. Virtually penniless, Dey, on Friday night, approached a car driver who agreed to take him on the arduous and dangerous route to Mashhad. "I told him that I can transfer the amount to his bank account only when I am back in India. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He thought for a brief moment and agreed to take me to Mashhad. He was like a Godsend to me, ready to take a stranger on a 1,500 km journey with just an assurance to be paid later," he said. The 600km stretch from Tabriz in northwest Iran to Tehran was severely damaged after Israeli missile attacks. Drones, quadcopters, and spike-guided missiles bombed large parts of the country. Vibrant and noisy Tehran and the adjoining areas have transformed into abandoned streets amid an eerie silence. "We will try to bypass Tehran. We are not sure if there will be a fresh phase of attack," said Dey. While the internet is cut off in large parts of Iran, Mashhad still has connectivity. "I will be able to receive and send documents only when I am in Mashhad. I hope it will be a little better among many other Indians."
United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
Afghan dry fruit traders concerned over continued closure of Attari-Wagah border
Kabul, June 21 (UNI) The closure of the Attari–Wagah border crossing, one of Afghanistan's key trade routes to India, has raised serious concerns among dried fruit exporters of Afghanistan. The Kabul Dry Fruit Exporters Union has warned that stopping freight truck movement on this route could severely disrupt both fresh and dried fruit exports, Tolo News reported. The union has urged Pakistani and Indian authorities to reopen the route permanently for Afghan cargo trucks. Khalid Rahmani, spokesperson for the union, told TOLOnews, 'We hope alternative links through Wagah and Chabahar ports will open soon. Given the current political and trade tensions between Pakistan and India, we predict a decline in exports to both countries.' After the Indian and Pakistani military tensions eased, the border reopened briefly on May 9, allowing about 162 trucks to pass, but it was shut again. At least 12 Afghan export trucks remain stuck at the crossing. With the fruit harvest season approaching, traders warn that continued closure could pose major challenges for Afghan exports. They are calling for diplomatic engagement to reopen this critical trade route. Omid Haidari, head of international relations at the Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock, said: 'We urge the leadership of the Islamic Emirate, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to strengthen contact with the Indian Foreign Ministry so that our major trade route can be reopened.' Merchant Mahboobullah Mohammadi, said, 'Our biggest export is dried fruit, especially pine nuts, which we mostly send to India via Wagah. But the decline in exports this year has brought significant losses. Our air corridors are still shut, and large amounts of pine nuts remain unsold in local markets.' The Wagah border was closed after tensions escalated between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, on April 22. The closure of the land border check post continues to cast a shadow over Afghanistan's regional trade. UNI ANV RN
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
FATF flags Pakistan bid to ship in missile gear from China on sly
(AI image created using ChatGPT) NEW DELHI: A new report by Financial Action Task Force has flagged Pakistan's attempts to procure equipment for its missile programme by mislabeling shipment, drawing attention to the country's failure in implementing measures to combat financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which is one of the recommendations of the global watchdog. The report not only reveals that critical components for ballistic missiles originating from China were mislabeled in documents but also links the importer to Pakistan's National Development Complex which handles missile production. India is likely to use the revelations in its dossier to make another push for Pakistan's return to the FATF 'grey list' which identifies countries with weaknesses in their anti-money laundering and terror financing systems. These countries are subjected to closer monitoring and must demonstrate progress on corrective action plans. Pakistan has been on the list three times with the most recent sanction of 2018 lifted in 2022. In Feb 2020, a Chinese vessel named 'Da Cui Yun', which was en route to Port Qasim in Karachi, was intercepted at Gujarat's Kandla port. While the equipment was seized, the ship and its crew were allowed to leave after investigation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo In its latest report titled 'Complex Proliferation Financing and Sanctions Evasion Schemes', FATF refers to the investigation by Indian Customs. "Indian authorities confirmed that documents mis-declared the shipment's dual-use items. Indian investigators certified the items for shipment to be 'autoclaves', which are used for sensitive high energy materials and for insulation and chemical coating of missile motors," it read. "The sensitive items are included in dual-use export control lists of the Missile Technology Control Regime, India, and other jurisdictions. The Bill of Loading of the seized cargo provided evidence of the link between the importer and National Development Complex," it added. FATF may release the report next month amid hopes in India that it would expose Pakistan's inadequacies in combating terror financing - something which could potentially result in the country being placed under enhanced monitoring, and being returned to 'grey list'. This move would subject Pakistan to increased financial scrutiny, impacting foreign investment and capital inflows. India has been pushing for Pakistan's return to the list, citing its brazen support for terrorism and failure to comply with FATF norms.
