Visa system an obstacle to increased tourism

11/6/93

The tourist visa system is one of the biggest obstacles preventing increased tourism to Australia and needs to be urgently reviewed.

Tourism Minister Doug Shave, who is currently in South East Asia, said it was archaic that every tourist coming into Australia, except those from New Zealand, had to have an entry visa.

"I have held discussions in several South East Asian cities with senior Government Ministers and they are unanimous in their opinion that the visa requirements are ridiculous and a disincentive for people to come to Australia," Mr Shave said.

"Australia is made to look foolish in the international marketplace, especially when a survey of 117 countries showed that 59 of those countries did not require Australian passport-holders to have a visa."

Mr Shave said the Indonesian Tourism Minister, Mr Joop Ave, had put an extremely strong case to him for the removal of visa restrictions.

"The Indonesian Minister said that in tourism, the first impression of a country was all-important and in Australia's case, the stringent visa requirements made it look a closed country.

"Indonesia allows 44 countries, including Australia, in without visas, and the Minister indicated that if Australia is serious in its bid to become part of South East Asia, the visa system must go."

The Indonesian Tourism Minister asked the Western Australian Government to 'bite the bullet' and take on the bureaucracy over the visa issue, regardless of any defensive position that Federal officials might take.

Mr Shave said he would be making contact with the Federal Government and would be requesting an urgent review of Australia's visa requirements as they were clearly out of step with the rest of the world and a major source of irritation for our South-East Asian neighbours.

Sports and Tourism officials in Thailand also told Mr Shave that the removal of the visa restrictions was necessary to help promote increased co-operation between the two countries.

Mr Shave said Singapore was a classic example of a tourism success story.  A key factor was that there were no visa requirements for visitors from 67 nations.

Passport-holders from 32 nations did not require a visa to enter New Zealand and in the United States, people from 15 countries did not require visas.

With the coming together of the European Community, people from those nations were able to cross scores of borders without any visa requirements.

"With modern computer communication, visas are becoming obsolete," Mr Shave said.

"Any potential problems can rapidly be identified through computer checks on passports.

"If the Australian Federal Government does not catch up with the rest of the world so far as visa requirements are concerned, it will continue to hamper our tourism and trade potential."

Media contact: Brian Coulter 325 4133 or 222 9595