New red tape could cost Northern Ireland £250m in lost revenue if foreign visitors stay away, the nation’s tourism leader has warned.
Joanne Stuart, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance, was responding to the government’s announcement that all overseas visitors to the UK will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) by April 2025.
Dr Stuart told The Independent daily travel podcast: “Northern Ireland is promoted as a destination overseas as part of the island of Ireland, and has been built very much on seamless travel.
“About 70 per cent of our international visitors arrive in Dublin or an airport in the south first and then, as part of their trip, will travel up and include some time in Northern Ireland – at the Giants’ Causeway and Titanic Belfast.
“To do that, they cross the land border into the UK jurisdiction and therefore will require an Electronic Travel Authorisation before they travel. People don’t realise that they’re they’re necessarily going into a different jurisdiction.
“When they book their flight to come to Dublin they’re not going to be told. Our concern is that those people coming in… don’t realise one that they’re going into the UK.”
No checks will be made at the border, but Dr Stuart warned: “There are intelligence-led checks in Northern Ireland. People may be stopped because they’ve had an accident or for some other reason. And their status could be checked at that point.
“The legislation is written, people can be deported. They can be detained. There are very serious implications if people are stopped and found to be without an ETA.”
Tourists must apply in advance of travel to the UK – including if they only want take a short-cut through a corner of Northern Ireland between Dublin and Donegal.
Dr Stuart is particularly concerned that coach tours which currently visit multiple destinations across the island of Ireland may decide to stay south.
“Our concern is that tour operators will decide there’s plenty to do in the Republic of Ireland – and say, ‘We’re not going to go through all of that administration burden to ensure that everybody has got the ETA’.”
“At risk certainly is around 20 per cent of [visitor] spend – so between £200m and £250m.”
The upper figure represents about £130 for each resident…
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