India offering free SIM cards to e-visa arrivals
Wednesday, 19 Feb, 2017
0
India has rolled out free pre-loaded SIM cards for all tourists arriving on e-visas.
The SIM cards are being provided by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and come loaded with Rs. 50 talk time and 50MB Internet data.
"It will facilitate the foreign tourists in communicating with their acquaintances immediately after they land in India," Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said.
"Also, they can get information in their own language using our 24×7 Tourist Helpline, which provides service in 12 foreign languages. A Russian speaking or Japanese speaking tourist can use the helpline easily."
Sharma said the SIM cards are issued only to e-visa holders for now and will launch initially at Delhi Airport.
It will later expand to all 15 international airports in the near future.
"We will see how this service could be provided to those coming on traditional tourist visa as well," tourism secretary Vinod Zutshi said.
The e-visa service is available to nationals of 161 countries.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt