As the warmer months approach, Indians’ interest in applying for visas is on the rise, with the Spanish and Italian Schengen visas emerging as their top choices.
According to BLS International, which is a visa outsourcing company, many Indians have already started to make travel plans for this year and have begun preparing their visa applications.
However, while Europe as a whole remains one of the most preferred destinations, BLS International has revealed that Indians are most interested in visiting Spain and Italy, with Spanish and Italian Schengen visa applications seeing a significant increase, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
The company has not shared specific numbers of the applications for Spanish and Italian Schengen visas that have been filed so far.
However, it said that 10 to 15 per cent of all Schengen visa applications are for a Spanish or Italian visa.
Spain and Italy emerge as the preferred destination for Indian nationals, accounting for 10-15 per cent of total visa applications.
Indians Applied for Over 671,900 Schengen Visas in 2022
In 2022, citizens of India applied for a total of 671,928 Schengen visas. However, not everyone who applied for a visa was issued the document, with the rejected applications rate standing at 18.3 per cent.
Out of all the Indians who applied for a Schengen visa in 2022, 541,094 were approved, while 121,188 were denied the visa.
Data further show that in 2022, Indians applied for 80,098 Spanish Schengen visas and 35,982 Italian Schengen visas.
During the same year, Spain issued 63,963 visas, and Italy issued 29,547 visas to Indians.
As for 2023, there is no available visa data yet. However, it is believed that a higher number of Indians applied for a Schengen visa in 2023 compared to 2022.
The number is expected to increase further this year as all indicators show that travel and tourism worldwide are on the way to surpassing the pre-pandemic levels.
Foreigners Interest to Travelling to India Has Increased Too
In addition to Indians planning more trips to the EU and other countries this year, BLS International revealed that India is emerging as a preferred destination among foreigners, too.
According to BLS International, Europeans, Canadians, and Brits are the most interested in travelling to India this year.
The same revealed that foreigners applying for Indian visas are mainly opting for “offline applications”.
It further disclosed that the applications for Indian visas have seen up to 20 per cent year-on-year growth.
BLS International has shared a list of top travel destinations in India that must be explored this spring. Part of the list are Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Varanasi, Goa, Kolkata, and Mathura-Vrindavan.
