Tourism Breaking News
On 14 November 2024, the Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru and VFS Global inaugurated the new VFS Global Visa Application Centre in Bengaluru, exclusively dedicated to Italy. The new Centre is centrally located in the Vasanth Nagar area, close to the Government seat of Vidhana Soudha and easily accessible from the city international airport.
The event was attended by representatives from the public sector and other Consulates, and by selected professionals from the travel and tourism industry.
Alfonso Tagliaferri, Consul General of Italy in Bengaluru, said in his welcome remarks: “We are very satisfied to inaugurate the new Bengaluru Visa Application Centre, dedicated exclusively to Italy. The new Centre will allow us to significantly increase the quality of the service provided to the public, which will enjoy a less-crowded experience, tailored for their Italian trip. At the same time, through this new application centre we will be able to better meet the ever-increasing demand for Italy as expressed by Indian citizens. A demand that will grow even further, with the implementation of the Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement recently signed by Italy and India. The Bengaluru Consulate has been opened since only a year, serving the population of four large Southern States like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The new VFS centre, together with a more pleasant experience for the public, will allow us to better streamline our procedures, in order to process more visas, faster.”
Yummi Talwar, Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, VFS Global, said, “VFS Global shares a long-standing relationship with the Government of Italy since 2004 and we are excited to expand our partnership further. We currently operate 11 Italy Visa Application Centres in India and this new and upgraded centre in Bengaluru will play a crucial role in effectively catering to the growing demand for travel to Italy, one of the most popular destinations in the world. We are confident that this visa application centre will enhance customer experience by making the visa application process even more smooth, thereby helping us serve travellers better.”
Since the relaunch of global mobility, following the halt pause brought about by the Covid pandemic, Italy has significantly stepped up its efforts, in order to meet a growing demand for visas expressed by the Indian public.
In 2022, the Italian Visa Offices across India processed a total of 67,000 visa applications. One year later, the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi, and the Italian Consulate Generals in Mumbai and Kolkata increased their collective output by 36 per cent, reaching a total of 91,600 visa applications processed across India in 2023.
With the opening of the new Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru, in the first six months of 2024 the visa applications processed by the Italian Visa Offices across India increased by a further 28 per cent, with 54,200 processed applications, and with the prospect of crossing 100,000 visa applications in India by the end of the year.
