President Marcos has ordered a study to determine how the government can provide seamless e-Visa (electronic visa) transactions for Indian nationals to help boost tourism in the Philippines.

Marcos said this as he met the Private Sector Advisory Council-Tourism Sector Group (PSAC-TSG) in Malacañan on Wednesday, July 3.

According to the President, faster e-visa processing for Indian nationals would help boost tourism in the country.

"We don’t have any such issues [with India]. So, I’m sure we can use their system," he said.

Under the current e-Visa system, Indian nationals are still required to make a personal appearance before the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, reducing the efficiency of the Philippine e-Visa system.

LT Group president and CEO Lucio Tan, a member of the PSAC-TSG, said e-Visa processing for Indian tourists takes around a month, making the Philippines less appealing as their destination.

"In view of that, we recommend engaging in a third-party service provider that will establish, run, and maintain the e-Visa system under the guidance of the relevant government agencies,” Tan said during the meeting with President Marcos.

"This will ensure that the program is consistently monitored and that any challenges in the process and the system will be immediately [addressed]. This will likewise streamline the application process and thus generate more applications due to the expedited process,” he added.

Currently, the e-Visa system for Indian nationals is in beta testing, piloted only for walk-in clients of the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi.

The PSAC-TSG emphasized the need to improve the e-Visa system for Indian nationals as they help boost the country’s tourism industry. They are “repeat visitors” who spend an average of eight nights and spend $100 per person per day in the Philippines.

It added that 78 percent of Indian nationals stay in hotels. Their activities include shopping, sightseeing, beach holidays, diving, visiting friends and relatives, and investing in business.

The group said India’s fast-growing economy and rising middle class are projected to help outbound trips reach 30 million by 2025.