There is reason to fear that governments will start to tighten visa policies and entry rules given the issues today. The UNWTO and its allies are lobbying harder for them not to. Will governments listen? By Raini Hamdi
The industry is worried the handiwork it has done to-date on getting governments to ease visa and entry regulations will disentangle in the face of terror attacks in recent months in cities as random as Paris, Jakarta, Istanbul and most recently, the Ivory Coast, Brussels and Istanbul again. The refugee crisis and a shaky EU that could even put paid to the Schengen visa only add to concerns.
Before all this, travel and tourism was coasting on a general mood of increased welcomeness. According to UNWTO’s Visa Openness Report 2014, the percentage of world population requiring a traditional visa prior to travel was 62 per cent in 2014, down from 77 per cent in 2008. In 2014, 19 per cent of the world population was able to enter a destination without a visa, while 16 per cent could receive a visa on arrival, compared with 17 per cent and six per cent respectively in 2008.
The UNWTO was aiming to further lower the percentage of the world population requiring a traditional visa prior to travel to 50 per cent last year. It did not meet the target. Still, it said “we’re on the right track”, pointing out that last year, 39 per cent of the world population could travel for tourism without a visa – the lowest level ever. That showed governments had seen the positive impact of visa facilitation on economic growth and job creation through tourism, it pointed out.
But in the current climate, it’s loud and clear that UNWTO and its allies in the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC) – namely the WTTC, PATA, IATA, ICAO, Airports Council International, Cruise Line International Association and the World Economic Forum – are afraid that current issues will reverse the mood for openness. Representing the “one voice” of the global industry, they aim to lobby harder for governments worldwide not to kill the golden goose of tourism.
Holding a media conference at the recent ITB Berlin, UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai elaborated what exactly GTAC would be lobbying governments for. “Safe and friendly travel, not just safe, but friendly,” he said.
“It is clear travel has become more complicated and travellers are faced with the challenge of security. Security is important but it must be done in a way that does not end up killing the industry we are trying to preserve.
“If we (countries) start closing borders, building walls, reducing our openness attitude, mixing the refugees issue with tourism, we will reverse our openness index,” he said.
Rifai added: “We’re advocating that tourism have a seat, so to speak, when it comes to discussions on safety and security. Tourism is being targeted everywhere by the forces of darkness because they know it hurts economically and politically. Now, if hurting this sector will cause a lot of damage to the country, then the country has an obligation to say, ‘Come, let’s hear what you have to say’. If it ends up taking measures without consulting the sector, it will end up killing that very sector and it’s something it will regret in the future.”
PATA’s CEO Mario Hardy said safety had shot up to the top as GTAC’s key priority, whereas before it was more about getting governments to ease visa policies so tourism could grow. Airlines, airports, destinations and cruises all have reason to make safety the number one issue today.
But safety inevitably is linked to security, which in turn can impact entry rules.
Hardy explained: “The danger we’re facing is if there is an increasing number of these attacks moving forward, countries will go the opposite way of what we want them to do – they’ll increase restrictions on visas, make it more difficult for people to enter the country, and that will impact tourism.”
Asked if he’s already seeing countries reversing entry rules, Hardy said: “Not at this stage. There hasn’t been an increase in restrictions because of these attacks yet. The refugee problems do have an impact, particularly in Europe, not in Asia, but then it might affect outbound from Asia into Europe in the long term if Europe tries to put up borders again, if England pulls out of EU and if there are restrictions (with the) Schengen (visa).”
Hardy said with technology today, countries could still have their necessary controls to monitor people “but not necessarily fending off the 99.9 per cent who are coming into the country as tourists”.
“We want to make sure agencies – CIA, Interpol, whatever – work together and exchange data of people coming into their countries. Countries can have friendly faces and a welcoming attitude towards tourists but still be alerted to potential threats through the use of technology,” he said.
But managing director of Marco Polo Reisen, Holger Baldus, begged to differ that countries weren’t tightening up on visas. “Visa procedures are getting a bit more difficult – even for Germans travelling to the US,” he said.
“Before, Germans needed a kind of landing permit for the US which could be applied online costing around US$11 to US$13. Now, it’s been tightened. For example, if I’ve been to countries like Iraq, Syria or Sudan since 2013, I need a visa, and I do get that. But Iran, which is a top study tour destination for us? So, because I’ve been to Iran lately, I’ve to go to the US embassy in person and apply for a visa, which costs more than a landing permit, even though when we listen to the news, it seems Iran is on the right path.
“In some places of the world it is getting stricter. Germany itself is extremely strict. We hear from partners from quite a number of countries attending ITB Berlin that it was quite a problem getting a visa. They were getting a much shorter duration of stay here, for example.
“Countries have to be welcoming when people apply for visas and make them feel welcome when they get their visas. If you are strict, make people understand why you are strict,” said Baldus.
Terrorist attacks in recent months, along with the refugee crisis, have also made safety and security even more of a concern for tourists. It is the chief consideration now for German tourists deciding where to go – price comes second – following the bombing in Istanbul which claimed 10 German lives and press coverage of the migrants issue in popular Greek islands such as Kos, said German operators interviewed at the recent ITB Berlin.
“These are difficult days and it’s a huge problem to sell the African part of the Mediterranean, said DER Touristik Frankfurt managing director, Matthias Rotter.
“Fortunately DERTOUR and Meier’s have a big portfolio of destinations and we’re able to compensate for a loss in one with a gain in another,” he said.
Asia will do well this year because of perception it is safe. There are no major price increases in traditional destinations in Asia like Thailand, but what’s more attractive to Germans is not pricing but that Asia is seen as safe, according to tour operators.
For Marco Polo Reisen, Indochina, India and China are “back on track” after a decline of 12 per cent, nine per cent and 26 per cent respectively last year. But the real star is Japan, which rose a whopping 73 per cent last year.
“We expect a bit more growth this year, after last year’s substantial one. That’s more than 1,000 guests to Japan. For its high prices that’s a lot of guests. Again, it’s not about pricing. Japan is seen as safe,” said Baldus.
He added: “Asia is looking good…In the end, Germans will continue to travel. Our economy is doing well. It’s a question of where and business is being re-divided according to safety perceptions.”
Thomas Cook Touristik product manager Asia, Arabia and Indian Ocean, Jens-Jochen Lauff, agreed: “The clients are never more concerned about safety and security than now. The reservations people are getting the question, ‘Is it safe to go?’ all the time. Clients are now very aware of (hazards) be it a virus or terror. This is especially so for families than couples.
“So the travel agent has quite a lot of influence in helping clients decide where to go. If they say Bali is safe, it can influence the clients to go,” said Lauff.
This article was first published in TTG Asia, April 1, 2016 issue, on page 6. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.
