Outrage over decision to revoke visa free travel between UK and 11 countries

Outrage over decision to revoke visa free travel between UK and 11 countries

Recently the Home Office and the UK Border Agency announced plans to revoke the visa free travel between 11 countries in Britain starting in early 2009.  The 11 countries that will lose their visa free privileges are Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

Several are expressing outrage by the decision including UKinbound which claims such measures taken by the British government could result in poor trade relations with the 11 countries on top of hurting the tourism industry.

The Chief Executive Officer for UKinbound said "Whilst supporting the concept of strong and secure borders for the United Kingdom we are, like many other organizations, deeply concerned that these measures, just like the chaotic introduction of biometric visas, are an ill conceived overreaction by UKBA prompted by the desire of the Home Office to be seen to be tough on illegal immigration irrespective of the damage to trading links with these countries of which tourism is just one of many.  

"This important change was made without consultation with the tourism industry and announced on the very day that the latest House of Commons Select Committee report on tourism was published.  That report contained the following comment about the current visa regime “the committee is deeply concerned that the consequences for tourism appear not to have been considered by the Home Office”, an observation that applies equally well in this instance."

http://www.ukinbound.org/