Global tourism chiefs have used the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks to call on governments to adopt smarter visa and border security policies to promote travel and tourism as a driver of jobs and economic growth.
The call came from the World Travel & Tourism Council in the wake of heightened security measures and regulations prompted by the September 11 US airliner hijackings. The WTTC said the “aggravation factor” for travellers has increased immensely as a result.
High costs and lengthy procedures for obtaining visas, bans on liquids in hand baggage and intrusive body scanners are just some of the obstacles travellers have to overcome. President and chief executive David Scowsill said: “Ten years after 9/11 the sympathy of the world is rightly focussed on the families who were impacted by this terrible tragedy.
“The enhanced security processes put in place post 9/11 were entirely appropriate as a short-term response to a very dramatic situation. Over the last ten years, however, the barriers to travel have become even greater, rather than diminishing through better use of technology and passenger profiling.”
He added: “Processing times for those lucky enough to obtain visas to visit many countries can run in to hundreds of days, and airport security has become an unpleasant experience. Rather than welcoming visitors with their export dollars, many countries are closing the door in the face of travellers.”
Scowsill called for a “fundamental change” in the minds of governments to balance security needs with freedom to travel by moving away from the current approach to a faster implementation of visa waiver and ‘trusted traveller’ programmes.
“Tourism accounts for 258 million jobs and 9% of the world’s GDP – it is a driver of global economic recovery. It is vital that countries take the necessary steps to protect their borders; but equally important that governments recognise that smarter policies exist to achieve that aim,” added Scowsill.