Northern Ireland’s economy minister is warning that a new UK government travel scheme will have a “devastating impact” on the Northern Ireland tourism market.
The British government’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) went live this week. A result of Brexit, it means that non-European travellers must obtain an ETA to gain entry into the UK.
As most international visitors to Northern Ireland enter through the Republic of Ireland it means that anyone wishing to travel into the North will now have to apply online at a cost of £10.
Sixty-seven percent of overseas holidaymakers outside of Britain and the Republic of Ireland arrive into the North from the South.
Tourism chiefs in Northern Ireland fear that many visitors to Northern Ireland coming from the Republic will think twice about crossing the border as applying for an ETA could be viewed as an unnecessary hassle.
Findings from a recent Tourism Ireland Sentiment Research across international markets found that due to the introduction of the ETA requirements one-in-four people in Europe, and one-in-five people in North America say they would make the decision not to cross the border.
Stormont’s Economy Minister Conor Murphy has met with Seema Malhotra MP, UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship, to outline his concerns.
“I have made it clear to Minister Malhotra that solutions to the ETA Scheme are needed to protect the North’s tourism sector.” he said.
“Ideally, a complete exemption should be introduced for those crossing into the North but not travelling on to Britain. At the very least a time-limited exemption for people visiting up to seven days would cover most of our international visitors.
“The existing exemption for French school groups shows that a solution is perfectly possible. A similar, pragmatic, and flexible approach could be taken by the Home Office to avoid damaging tourism growth in the North.”
The Minister added: “Our all-island economy is vital, and seamless all-island travel is key to building on the growth we have seen in our tourism sector. I share the strong concerns expressed by the tourism and travel industry here and will continue to press the British Government for a solution to this challenging issue.”
Judith Owens, CEO of Titanic Belfast and Chair of the NI Tourism Alliance (NITA), expressed significant concerns.
She said: "The introduction of the ETA scheme poses a substantial threat to Northern Ireland's tourism sector. With approximately 70 percent of our international visitors entering via the Republic of Ireland and crossing the land border, the additional requirement of obtaining an ETA could deter many from including Northern Ireland in their travel plans.
“This not only jeopardises an estimated £210 million in annual revenue but also risks diminishing our global tourism appeal.
"These visitors represent approximately one percent of total international visitors to the UK and we urgently call on the UK Government to agree to an exemption to mitigate these adverse impacts and safeguard the future of our tourism industry."
