Visa facilitation for an expected 57 million international tourists could create 2.6 million new jobs and an additional USD 89 billion in international tourism receipts in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies by 2016.
These predictions come from The Impact of Visa Facilitation in APEC Economies, released by The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The organisations have been working closely together in recent years to promote the value of visa facilitation as a means to stimulate economic growth and development. This growth looks set to rise in line with the predicted influx of international tourists, of whom many will be required to obtain a traditional visa prior to travel under current visa policies.
Commenting on the report, which was presented at the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Travel Facilitation in Bali on 1 October 2013, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai said, “This report clearly shows that placing visa facilitation as a national priority can translate into significant socio-economic benefits in terms of income and jobs generated by the growth of tourism demand. APEC has been a leading organisation in terms of regional integration and we believe that visa facilitation can contribute significantly to advance APEC’s objectives and the balanced growth of its economies.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
