NI tourism risks return to pre-peace deal patterns due to ETA, warns minister
Share:
The Northern Ireland tourism sector risks returning to pre-peace agreement visitor patterns if the region is not exempted from the UK’s new visa waiver scheme, a Stormont minister has warned. Economy minister Conor Murphy said this summer’s Open Championship golf tournament in Portrush could be one of the first high-profile events to suffer due to the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirement, with international visitors to the island opting not to travel north to take in the sporting showpiece.
Mr Murphy described the scheme as a “real kick in the teeth” for the local tourism sector, claiming it will act as a bureaucratic and financial disincentive for overseas tourists considering a visit to Northern Ireland. As of Wednesday, all non-European visitors to the UK who do not have residency rights and who do not require a visa will instead need to purchase an ETA in advance.
From April 2, European visitors will also need the digital travel permission, which costs £10 and is linked to a traveller’s passport. The initial introduction of the ETA last year applied only to travellers from the Gulf states. Irish citizens travelling into Northern Ireland do not require an ETA because they are entitled to move freely in the UK under the Common Travel Area arrangements, and non-Irish citizens who are resident in Ireland are being granted an exemption under the visa waiver scheme.
Tourism businesses in Northern Ireland have been warning for more than two years about the potential consequences of the post-Brexit scheme, highlighting that 70% of international visitors to the region travel across its land border having arrived in the Republic of Ireland first.
