EU to support Malta proposal for 'group visas' to holidaying third nationals

Speaking during a press conference at the end of the European Forum on Tourism, European Vice President Antonio Tajani stressed that he will be “fully supporting” Malta’s proposal to facilitate Visa issues with third countries.

The proposal, made by Malta during the Madrid Conference on Tourism hosted by the Spanish Presidency of the EU last April, provides for the issuance of a group Visa that would be named after the group leader who would be held responsible for the group during the tour in any European country.

“We are still at an embryonic stage of the proposal and we already have declared support from Greece,” Parliamentary secretary for tourism Mario de Marco said, adding  that in the wake of forecasted increases of holiday-makers from third countries, “Visa problems must be addressed.”

With China, Brazil, Russia and India as emerging tourist markets, the EU is being pressured into opening up its strict frontier controls in a bid to secure more tourism.

Figures released by the EU Commission show that arrivals from Brazil have increased by 46%, China by 19% and Russia by 18% during the last two years.

However, the most significant forecast is for the next decade where Asian tourism will increase by 47%, out numbering traffic from the Americas.

“This poses a great challenge for us all in the EU if we want to attract those tourists,” Commissioner Tajani said, adding that the reality is that one in every two tourists coming into Europe in 2020 will be Asian.

In the wake of this reality, Tajani has launched an ambitious action plan that intends to market the EU as a single tourist destination, branding the product and harmonising the travel logistics.

To make this possible, the Malta conference has paved t way for the action plan to be adopted by the EU member states, and initiated workshops that would lead to the formation of a common policy for tourism in the EU.

Among the ideas launched, the EU will be marketing the great events that are set to dominate the EU such as the London Olympics in 2012 and the World Expo in Milan in 2015.

“We are working on making the tourism season open all year round rather than having seasonality,” Tajani said, while adding that the changes he is set to bring about, are intended to create jobs and widen the economic opportunities for all.