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Nearly 13% dip in number of Indians visiting US

Till June, as many as 5,53,177 Indians had visited the US in the year 2017 ranking 18th in the list

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The United States, once a favourite destination of Indians, has dropped from their priority list lately. The latest figures released by the US National Travel and Tourism Office has shown a drop of 12.9 per cent in the number Indians travelling to the US in the first six months (January to June). In the second quarter — between April and June — the drop was more significant at 18.3 per cent. Till June, as many as 5,53,177 Indians had visited the US in the year 2017 ranking 18th in the list. Out of top 18 countries, except South Korea, Germany, Canada all the rest have sown dip in visiting the US. Most significant dip is from Brazil, which has witnessed drop of 18.2 per cent.

Brand USA's president and CEO Chris Thompson said the significant policy changes made by India in the last one year might have impacted the numbers. "There are so many things that influence the intent or ability for people to travel. The demonetisation. The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was also something that affects people's ability or intent to travel," Thompson said. He, however, refused to pinpoint the reason behind the dwindling numbers, but hoped that the "softness" be a short- term phenomenon.

President Donald Trump is being seen as friendly by our Indian friends and visitors," he said.

"The only issue that we've had probably may have contributed to some of the softness is there was more demand for visas than we had the ability to process," he said, adding that the issue has now been resolved.

In 2016 there were 11.7 lakh travellers from India who visited the US contributing USD 13.6 million toward the US economy, which was a 14 per cent increase over the year prior.

According to the latest projections by the Department of Commerce, the US expects an additional 814,000 visitors from India by 2021 as compared to the 2016 figures, Thompson said. "That will be a 72 per cent increase over 2016 number," he said.

Last January, Trump announced a special relaxation for low-risk Indian travellers to enable them a speedy entry into the country after landing. He granted India membership of the International Expedited Traveler Initiative (Global Entry Program), saying it would facilitate closer business and educational ties between the citizens of India and the US. The citizens of Switzerland and the United Kingdom are also part of the programme, which India joined.

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