International News
Silk Road ministers agrees visa facilitation
T o mark the 20th anniversary of the
Samarkand Declaration on Silk Road Tourism, the fourth meeting of the UNWTO Silk Road Ministers, during the ITB 2014 in Berlin, discussed visa facilitation as a means to further advance tourism development along the ancient trade route. The meeting brought together 21 ministers and deputy ministers of Tourism from the Silk Road countries with representatives from the European Commission, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and United Na-
tions Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to exchange experiences and visa facilitation strategies. In Tourism Visa Openness Report for the Silk Road Countries, UNWTO research showed that while many visa barriers still remain, the global tendency towards visa facilitation can be observed also along the Silk Road. At the beginning of 2008, 87 per cent of the world population required a visa prior to departure to a Silk Road destination as compared to 73 per cent in 2013.
Sao Paulo airport to implement new ABC technology B razilian passengers from GRU
Airport – Sao Paulo International Airport – in Guarulhos may soon enjoy an innovative process of immigration, which will streamline the flow of people and reduce waiting times. In August, Terminals 2 and 3 in Guarulhos will receive the latest Automated Border Control (ABC) technology, which will allow passengers to control their own immigration and emigra-
tion processes autonomously, without the need to interact directly with the Brazilian Federal Police, provided they have a Brazilian electronic passport and are over 18 years old.
Between 2010 and 2013, visa facilitation measures in Silk Road countries accounted for 14 per cent of all improvements made globally, with the most common measure being substituting a traditional visa requirement for a visa on arrival.
New passport guidance for visitors to Turkey
H olidaymakers to Turkey will have to
hold a passport valid for at least 60 days from the date of expiry of their visitor visa. In new guidance for foreign travelers, passports must be valid for at least 60 days from the date of expiry of a visitor visa to be able to enter the country before December 31. Travellers without the required period of validity on passports will regrettably not be allowed entry into Turkey due to this new legal regulation, the Ministry for Culture and Tourism said. Turkey abolished visas on arrival in April and replaced this with an electronic visa application system. |Manafez Dubai |August ٢٠١٤ | 27