Tourexpi
The report sheds light on the evolving landscape of
travel facilitation. It includes the Tourism Visa Openness Index that
measures the degree to which destinations facilitate tourism and how open a
country is in terms of visa facilitation for tourism purposes. Also, mobility
scores are included to indicate to the extent to which citizens around the
world are subject to visa policies, as well as an in-depth analysis of
the reciprocity of visa policies.
Key findings include:
Regional Openness Scores:
·
Return to
Pre-pandemic openness: Destinations' openness to international travel has
rebounded to pre-pandemic levels following the lifting of COVID-19 related
travel restrictions. As a consequence of the pandemic, new forms of travel
facilitation, such as "nomadic visas", also appeared.
·
Decline in
traditional visa requirements: Fewer people worldwide now require a traditional
visa to travel, falling from 77% in 2008 to 59% in 2018, and then to 47% in
2023.
·
Visa-exempt
travel: 21% of the world population do not need any form of visa, an
increase from 17% in 2008 and 20% in 2018.
·
Visa on
arrival: 14% of the world population can apply for visa on arrival, an increase
from 6% in 2008. and 15% in 2018.
·
eVisas: 18%
of the world population can apply for eVisas, an increase from 3% in 2013
and 7% in 2018.
The report looks at visa regulations for tourism by
region, highlighting:
·
Asia and
the Pacific had the highest openness score of all world regions.
·
The most
open sub-regions are South East Asia, East Africa and the Caribbean.
·
The
greatest increase in openness since the last report in 2018 was observed in
South Asia and West Africa.
·
The most
restrictive regions remain Central and North Africa, North America and Northern
and Western Europe.
·
Visa
exemptions are particularly prevalent in the Caribbean and Central America.
·
Visa on
arrival policies is common in East Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and West
Africa.
·
Traditional
visa requests in the Middle East decreased from 71% of the global population in
2015 to 57% in 2023.
·
eVisas are
prevalent in West and East Africa and South Asia.
Recommendations for streamlined travel
The report underscores the pivotal role of visa
policy improvements in fostering tourism growth. Key recommendations include
increased integration of tourism perspectives into visa strategies, targeted
visa-exemption programs for low-risk traveler markets and expanded visa on
arrival facilities. In addition, clear communication on visa policies is vital,
along with a streamlined visa application process, accelerated processing times
and optimized entry procedures for an enhanced visitor experience.
Image
Credit: © UN Tourism
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