Not long after the United Kingdom opened its borders to all travelers and the tourism sector started recovering, the government decided to increase the cost of tourist visas by £5.
Previously, those applying for a UK short visit visa were required to pay a fee of £95. However, in line with the new changes that started applying on April 6, the visit visa fee now is £100, VisaGuide.World reports.
While an increase of £5 might not seem a big deal, the difference in cost between a Schengen visa and a UK tourist visa is quite notable. An adult has to pay a fee of €80 when applying for a Schengen visa; children between the age of six and 12 have to pay half of the price, whereas those under the age of six do not need to pay a fee at all.
Such a difference may push tourists to choose other destinations over the UK as the majority of travelers are required to hold a valid visa in order to be permitted entry to the UK.
Only those reaching the UK from a European Union Member States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the US, can enter the UK visa-free.
The decision of the UK government to increase the visa fee has been highly criticized by leading inbound tourism figures.
According to the Independent, the chief executive of UKinbound, Joss Croft, has said that this decision is absolutely tone-deaf as the tourism sector of the UK already sits at the bottom of the table for international price competitiveness.
Croft emphasized that this increase will only slow down the recovery of the sector as travelers may choose other destinations over the UK in order to avoid paying extra fees.
“International tourism is a competitive industry, which is why the government needs to invest further in the promotion of Britain abroad and implement smart visa policies and funding that support the recovery and growth of the sector, not hinder it,” Croft said.
The co-chair of the London Tourism Recovery Boars, Bernard Donoghue, also criticized the fee increase, the Independent reveals.
Bernard said that last year the UK tourism sector lost around £200 million per day, thus suggesting the country should not create any further barriers that might push potential tourists away.
Apart from increasing the fee for the tourist visa, the UK government has raised fees for other types of visas too. The fee for all types of long visit visas has been increased by £15. Instead of paying a fee of £361 for a two-year visit visa, everyone will now have to pay £376. In addition, the fee of a five-year visit visa has increased to £670, and the fee of a ten-year visit visa has increased to £837.
Did you find this page helpful?
Yes No
Leave a Comment