Visa facilitation to create 2.6 mn jobs in APEC nations: Report

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies could create 2.6 million more jobs and generate $89 billion by promoting visa facilitation by 2016, said a study released Sunday.

The report, "The Impact of Visa Facilitation in APEC Economies" released by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), indicates that there has been successful collaboration across the APEC region to facilitate visas but 21 percent of international tourists have to obtain a traditional visa prior to travelling, Xinhua reported.

Indonesian Tourism Minister Mari Pangestu highlighted the importance of expanding visa facilitation and pointed out various challenges to establish cooperation among institutions and officials.

"We have to bring officials working in tourism, finance, customs, immigration, security, transportation and airport together, as they are in different groups. We hope to come up with a plan on visa and travel facilitation," she said.

Both UNWTO and WTTC have been working on improving visa facilitation in collaboration with various international bodies.

Despite progress, many countries still need to improve delivery of information, facilitate the process to obtain visas and institute e-visa programmes, the study said.