Visiting the UK is about to get more expensive, as the rollout of the nation’s new travel permit gets underway.
Visitors from Europe don’t need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) until April, but for other international visitors, the permit was a requirement from 8 January. But less than a month into the scheme, the UK Home Office has announced plans to hike the price of an ETA.
Under the proposed amendment, the ETA fee will rise to £16 (€18.91), from a previous fee of £10 (€11.82). The silver lining in the announcement is that transit passengers will no longer need to pay the fee at all.
Read our full guide to the UK's new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA): who needs it, how long it's valid for and how to apply.
“The decision to increase Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) costs by 60 per cent is a staggering blow to the UK’s tourism industry and businesses across the country,” says Joss Croft, Chief Executive of UKinbound.
The proposed changes will see the cost of an ETA application rising from £10 (€11.82) to £16 (€18.91), a 60 per cent increase.
The UK Home Office says these changes are to “reduce the reliance of the migration and borders system on taxpayer funding,” and estimates they will raise £269 million (€318 million) each year.
The proposed price hike will be debated in the UK Parliament and will need to be approved before going ahead. But if it’s approved, the new price will be in place quickly.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which speaks on behalf of 340+ airlines worldwide, has been vocal in its opposition to the price hike.
“Proposing to increase ETA costs just a week after the system was introduced is bewildering,” says IATA director general Willie Walsh. “If implemented it would be a self-inflicted blow to the UK’s tourism competitiveness.”
Walsh further points out that, in November last year, the UK government pledged to boost tourism by 30 per cent, aiming to stimulate arrivals to 50 million by 2030. “Gouging these travellers with a 60% increase in the ETA is a very bad start,” says Walsh.
“It's time for the UK government to see the big picture,” Walsh continues. “It has everything to gain by making the UK a more cost-competitive travel destination—including the substantial tax revenues that travellers generate. It makes no sense to discourage visitors with high costs even before they set foot in the country.”
AirlinesUK, the association of UK airlines, similarly rebuffed the price increase, with CEO Tim Alderslade commenting the move was “bitterly disappointing.”
“[The fee increase} makes little sense in a country that depends on its air connectivity for economic growth, and which only recently raised air passenger duty to record levels,” continues Alderslade.
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