subject: Unwto Urges Down Under To Relax Its Visa Policy [print this page] Much concerned with the stringent visa requirements of the Department of Immigration & Citizenship of Australia, the apex world organization, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has urged the nation to ease its stringent visa requirements for the travelers from developing nations. It said that the move may assist Canberra develop its tourism further.
Taleb Rifai, the concerned secretary-general, continued that there is no proof whatsoever to suggest that stringent admission conditions for the travelers from abroad are vital for security linked issues. Rifai urged Down Under and the remaining developed nations to make their rules, involving the visitor visas, comparatively less stringent.
He was quoted as saying that there is not any proof to ascertain that close and very robust relations between visas and security matters exist. He added that it does not make much sense to continue to come across long, serpentine lines, very burdensome, uncomfortable, intricate, protracted, expensive entry formalities across the globe.
Even as the travelers from India and China have offered the biggest yearly growth to the tourism figures of Australia during the course of the decade gone by, they still have to face several roadblocks to get a permit.
It is mandatory for the visitors from overseas arriving in the Kangaroo Land for the very first time to furnish bank statements, a note from their boss/firm that shows the post they hold and also their pay-package, the duration of their service, and verification that they have duly been offered with time-off work for the period of their visit. In case the traveler is visiting his relatives or friends in Australia, a letter of invitation from their Australian hosts could as well be asked for by the concerned authority.
Even as some observers opine that the decrease witnessed in Australian tourism is thanks mainly to the high Australian dollar, the concerned secretary-general is of the firm opinion that it is mainly thanks to the complex visa procedure followed by the nation.
In this connection, the secretary-general reportedly said that the expenditure incurred is not the deciding issue; it's the ease of reaching the place, the expenditure incurred for the travel, and the expenditure and overall complications of the admission procedure.
Even though expenditure is a rather crucial factor in competitiveness, the need of the hour is not to give it over importance. As if to drive the message home in a better way, Rifai added that some of the most appealing spots across the globe also happen to be the costliest spots across the globe.
