- India
- International
Indians, last year, wanted to travel to Europe more than ever before. A report in Quartz India, which quotes data from the web portal Schengen visa info, reveals that more than a million applications were filed in India last year for a short-stay visa to the Schengen area. This not only marks a 17 per cent increase from the previous year, but also shows that the figures have almost doubled since 2014,
The reason for this is simply because Schengen visa enables tourists to travel through 26 European countries. The exhaustive list includes Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. All these places can be travelled to with a single document.
While Austria boasts of breathtaking places like Carinthia’s biggest lake, Worthersee, one of the country’s most famous summer destinations, skiing destinations like St Anton am Arlberg, there is much to see in France as well. The place has always been regarded as one of the most favourite tourist destinations and not without a cause.
If one is interested in architecture and culture, Bordeaux, a major port city is the place to go to. Bordeaux’s city center features more than a staggering 350 historical structures. It also has landmarks like medieval churches and old bridges like the Ponte de Pierre. And there is always Paris with its charm and Eiffel Tower; and even Switzerland, that has several lakes and consists of high peaks of the Alps.
The same report also suggests that, interestingly, most of the Indian applicants for the visa came from New Delhi.
“The Swiss consulate in New Delhi received 161,403 applications, topping the list as the busiest Schengen consulate in India. Next, are listed the French consulate in New Delhi and Mumbai which received over 140,000 applications together,” Schengen visa info reveals.