New visa regulations may harm UK tourism

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New UK visa regulations to be introduced later this month will make it more costly and more inconvenient for tourists from some countries to visit Britain.

For the first time, nationals of Bolivia, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland and Venezuela will be required to pay for entry visas. Up until the introduction of the new regulations, citizens of these countries could travel to the UK visa-free.

According to the UK Borders and Immigration Agency, the changes are the result of an extensive review of its policies. The changes in regulations are seen as the biggest shake-up in UK border control and immigration policy in more than 45 years.

Other measures include the fingerprinting of all visa applicants and the introduction of electronic identity checks at airports and ports throughout the UK.

The executive director of the European Tour Operators Association, Tom Jenkins, has stressed that the changes will make London an even less attractive destination for many overseas visitors.

Jenkins said: “The thing that concerns me is that increasingly the UK is seen as an additional and avoidable destination in Europe.”

He added: “As recently as 10 years ago, London was the gateway for people coming in from long-haul origin markets who wanted to see Europe. Nearly everybody arrived in London and left from London. Now, we are seeing most of the long-haul tour operators use a variety of gateway cities throughout the continent. London is seen as an add-on.”

Thanks to www.travelmole.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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