Indian travelers for UK will increase by 10 percent in 2010-11

United Kingdom, February 4: The year 2010-11 will see a rise of 10 percent in the number of Indian travelers to the UK.

This was revealed in Chandigarh by Paramjit Bawa, country head of Visit Britain, the British tourist authority. The reasons behind increased number of Indians choosing to travel to Britain are increased business travel, increased UK student visas in the current year and the currency of Britain becoming weaker by 10-12 percent.  

Although, the recent announcement by the UK immigration officials regarding a freeze on the issuance of UK student visas to Indians from North India, yet the UK government expects increased number of students from India applying for student visas in the coming months. 

• This is likely since the ban on UK visas from North Indian applicants is only a temporary issue.

• Also, the peak time of applying for student visas especially from Indian students is between the months of June and July. 

As per the statistics made available, the number of Indian travelers to the UK increased by nearly 4 percent in the year 2009 as compared to 2008. Last year, nearly 3.80 lakh Indians travelled to Britain. 

In the previous years too, India witnessed a rising trend of UK visa seekers. Number of Indians opting to visit Britain including those going on student visa, business visa, tourist visa and for other reasons like visiting family/friends in the country rose by 25 percent from 2000 to 2006. 

And it is likely that UK will see nearly one million Indians visiting the country in a short span of next 10 years or so, asserted Bawa. 

A large number of people from North India, especially from Punjab and New Delhi, are among the Indian travelers to the UK. However, West India tops the list for Indian travelers to the UK.

The UK government is involved increasing tourism in the country by showcasing the rich culture of Britain.