Global growth in some parts of the attractions and tourism industry is being held back by confusing and antiquated visa regulations. That's the view of a number of industry leaders – most recently Merlin Entertainments' CEO, Nick Varney, who's flagged up the UK's visa policies as "a joke", and is calling for reform.
Tourists are put off visiting some world destinations by visa palavers and cost. As a result, profits don't follow investment to the extent they could and the cross-marketing of attractions by operators with global portfolios doesn't have the impact it would in a more open market.
Even a small change could make a big difference given the volumes of tourists who hit the road each year. Global arrivals exceeded the billion mark for the first time in 2012 and the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is forecasting growth of per cent a year on this number to 2030.
Nations which recognise the value of tourists to their economies and make it easy and cheap for people to visit are seeing the benefits, as are the visitor attractions which sit within their borders.
Some regions, such as the EU, have streamlined their systems. The Schengen Agreement – signed in 1985 – created the Schengen Area, which operates like a single state for visa purposes and covers 26 European countries, including most EU members, plus Iceland and Norway. The UK and Ireland opted out of Schengen – one of the reasons for Varney's ire.
The G20 meeting in Mexico in 2012 historically recognised travel and tourism as a "vehicle for job creation, economic growth and development", with G20 leaders committing, for the first time, to support the industry.
Of the 656 million tourists who visited G20 countries in 2011, 110 million needed a visa, but millions more were found to have been deterred from travelling by the cost and difficulty of obtaining one.
Research by the World Travel and Tourism Council and the UNWTO showed the G20 could boost international tourist numbers by 122 million, generate an extra US$206bn (£131bn, E154bn) and create five million extra jobs by 2015, simply by improving visa processes. With this item firmly on the agenda internationally, the industry needs to join the lobby with all possible haste.
Varney is right to be bringing it to our attention.
