Asean has one of the most open visa policies: UNWTO

In the 2014 Visa Openness Report released by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), destinations in Asia and the Pacific generally scored higher in international travel facilitation while North America is ranked the lowest in visa openness.

Speaking at the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Madrid last month, UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai said visa openness, tourism, economic growth and job creation go hand-in-hand.

"It is not by accident that somebody as important as President Obama said ‘The more folks that visit US, the more jobs we have’," Rifai stressed.

In a 2014 speech delivered at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in New York, Obama said travel and tourism were responsible for US$1.5 trillion (Bt50 trillion) in economic activities across the country supporting eight million jobs.

Creating easier access

As the global authority on international travel, UNTWO has been working with WTTC in advocating for easier visa facilitation.

A study on the impact of visa facilitation, tourism demand and job creation commissioned by UNTWO and WTTC in 2012 found that the development and visa implementation processes by G20 countries could generate up to 112 million additional international tourists by 2015, as well as increase tourism receipts by $206 billion and create up to 5.1 million additional jobs.

Those figures are not estimations. Japan, one of the G20 countries, recorded a 169 per cent increase in tourist arrivals since the Shinzo Abe administration began its visa relaxation policy in 2013, said Japan Airlines chairman Masaru Onishi during a session at the WTTC summit.

Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are among the countries which have benefited from the exemption rule.

Indeed, the number of Thai visitors to Japan almost doubled last year to a record of 13.4 million following the visa exemption for Thai tourists starting July 2013.

The launch of low-cost carrier flights between the two countries and the weaker yen have also contributed in the sharp increase in tourist numbers to Japan.

Other governments in Asia have also taken steps in facilitating easier visa processing.

Myanmar, the country in Southeast Asia with the heaviest visa restrictions and yet the most untapped tourism potential, started implementing an online visa application system last year.

The Indian government under Narenda Modi has taken similar steps in opening online visa applications for 43 nations.

The Thai government waived visa fees for Chinese and Taiwanese tourists for three months last year. Thailand currently offers a visa exemption to 52 countries.

Malaysia played catch-up by waiving visa fees for Chinese tourists from February to December this year.

Only the Indonesian government was less successful in introducing visa exemptions due to legal hurdles which state that visa exemptions can only be made on a reciprocal basis.

Significant improvement

Visas are not a modern contraption to make travel a less than pleasant experience for holidaymakers. Since ancient Roman times, visas, or similar travel documentation, has been used as a border control mechanism.

Even the idea of visa exemptions is not much of a novelty. Several European nations abolished passports and visas in the mid-19th century to keep up with an explosion of tourism following the popularity of rail travel.

Passports and visas made a comeback after World War II due to international security concerns while the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre forever changed the ease international travel.

UNWTO secretary general Rifai said national security and friendly visa facilitation were not a zero sum game.

"Countries not only have the right, they have a duty to protect their borders and citizens. Visas are part of that. But the point is, do we have to make it a nightmare? Do we have to make it so unpleasant?" said Rifai.

"The interest is in keeping a high level of security. If there is no security, there is no tourism," he added.

Rifai believed that the efforts by UNWTO and WTTC had "contributed in a meaningful way" towards visa relaxation policies observed over the years.

WTTC president and CEO David Scowsill said around 65 countries experienced "huge transitions" in travel and visa processing over the last two years.

"Five or six years ago, 77 per cent of international travellers has to go to consulates, attend interviews before getting their visas. Based on the figures last year, 62 per cent of travellers had to do that," he said.

Rifai was nevertheless more cautious. He said the progress was not really sustainable as some countries had gone back on the commitment they made for themselves.

 

A visa-free future?

While visa exemption is ideally the ultimate goal towards a seamless travel experience, the facilitation of current processes, differentiated treatment, the use of eVisa programmes and regional agreements are part of visa facilitation processes undertaken by governments.

Speaking during a leaders’ sharing session, Marriott International chief global communications and public affairs officer Kathleen Matthews suggested a global trusted traveller programme in which trusted travellers were identified through sharing of data between governments.

"Rather than using visas to dissuade travellers and create speed bumps to travel, a global traveller access programme will make travel more efficient and secure," said Matthews.