17 July 2008

New visa rules are "ill-conceived over-reaction", says UKinbound

UKinbound has warned that the governmentÃ¢â¬â¢s decision to scrap visa waiver agreements for key tourist destinations such as South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius, Malaysia and Brazil could spell disaster for trade relations and both outbound and inbound tourism.

Last week The Home Office and the UK Border Agency announced the decision to reintroduce visa requirements in early 2009 for 11 countries - Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela Ã¢â¬' saying these countries did not Ã¢â¬Åâœmeet the strict criteria to determine the level of risk they pose to the UK in terms of illegal immigration, crime and security standards set by the UK government". It said it would introduce visa requirements for short-term visitors from these countries Ã¢â¬Åâœunless they significantly reduce the risk they pose to the UK by the end of the year".

But UKinbound says the impact will be significant on tourism to the UK as these countries are likely to reciprocate the arrangement. And with South Africa, Brazil and Malaysia key emerging markets which accounted in 2006 for 548,000 visitors to the UK, worth more than Ã&#pound;456m in foreign currency, this could make a nasty dent in inbound tourism too.

The organisation says visitors from these countries are likely to reconsider visiting the UK if a Ã&#pound;65 biometric visa application process must be gone through before they can arrive on British shores.

It adds that South Africa, Malaysia, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago also make up a large slice of the visiting friends and family market, which makes up about 30% of all inbound tourism in the UK.

UKinbound chief executive Stephen Dowd said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœWhilst supporting the concept of strong and secure borders for the United Kingdom we are, like many other organisations, deeply concerned that these measures, just like the chaotic introduction of biometric visas, are an ill conceived overreaction by UKBA prompted by the desire of the Home Office to be seen to be tough on illegal immigration irrespective of the damage to trading links with these countries of which tourism is just one of many.

He added: Ã¢â¬ÅâœThis important change was made without consultation with the tourism industry and announced on the very day that the latest House of Commons Select Committee report on tourism was published. That report contained the following comment about the current visa regime Ã¢â¬Åâœthe committee is deeply concerned that the consequences for tourism appear not to have been considered by the Home OfficeÃ¢â¬~, an observation that applies equally well in this instance."

By Dinah Hatch