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From: "Henryk Handszuh" <hhandszuh@world-tourism.

org>
To: <SchaeferK@GAO.GOV> - -'
Date: 4/4/02 11:22AM
Subject: visa requirements

Dear Mr Schaeffer,

I am pleased to answer your request which has been referred to me due to my


former association with the facilitation programme of our Organization.

In a recent WTO tourism policy document, the Global Code of Ethics for
Tourism (endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly on 21 December
2001, resolution A/RES/56/212), "Liberty of tourist movements" is addressed
in article 8 (liberty to move from one State to another, but visas are not
specifically mentioned), (apparently US had some problems with this
resolution...).

In the Tourism 2020 Vision the existing facilitation framework


characterizing in particular the main so-called tourism sending countries
whose citizens normally do not need entry visas on tourist trips, was
considered as already consolidated, and on the other hand the emergence of
new tourist sending countries was believed to be accompanied by
corresponding facilitation measures based on economic criteria, i.e. the
economic capacity of new travellers to spend personal income on travel and
^tourism services. Therefore, SH§§j|MaiipHMMBBMHVMiWMpMHn^
VJ

which were certainly recognized in the overall analysis as having an


important impact on future traveljlpws. ££}

Earlier the Organization unequivocally recngni7fifj the imnprtance of travel


\formalities, incjuding^tryj4igas, for the exercise of freedom to travel
ai^'tlrevblurne oftraverflows and tourism business by advocating the

work on the convention started in 1£8Ariwm«MapeAfilMUi»tt8ikand never


resumed. U.S., at that time a member of the World Tourism Organization, was
an active participant in this work, and also a proponent of its suspension.

far as I know, the work on the "Budapest Convention"


3tj^yjmJbe^^ to the
exstence of various travel formalities, but their Importance was recognized
as a matter of course. At the European lever, that view had always been hold
by the Bt««pB€m"lwwB<^wwwiBBt8W'(by advocating, for example, visa-free
travel to Europe for US citizens in the recovery of tourism after World War
II) and QfiSB'^Mef'rtwwWpeirtPBei^^ (last version of
1 985) to encourage all members to register and gradually suppress travel
formalities (including entry visas) and systematically monitor this process
within the OECD area.

With respect to the European Union and the impact of S4BMpMpM


the undersigned attempted an analysis in this matter (attached), at the
request of ASEAN tourism ministers in January 1999.

Finally, with respect to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)


of the World Trade Organization we are currently examining the workings and
impact on tourism of commitments made by countries in their national
schedules under "consumption abroad" which we find not transparent at all,
misleading and therefore of little practical use. It is nevertheless found
that GATS commitments under this mode of supply concern a country's own
consumers travelling abroad, not the entry of foreign visitors into that
country. Olill, IIILUJUIU euiiuuining Lin uiliji uf fuielyn uWluu iiiuytit

Should this happen, non-compliance could be subject


to dispute settlement procedures.

From my own personal and professional experience I can say that


and hostilaentry visa procedure, also acmmpaniml hy fLvJ2fLfQQ is a
serious deterrent^to traveLabroad. especially with respect to leisure
Fravel where you can choose from a limitless number of competing entry
visa-free destinations. If you have a strong motivation to visit an entry
visa country, a normal reaction is to postpone the tripO "until later" and
go somewhere else for the time being. And this "until later" may take many
years to materialize.

I hope my comments can be of help in your analysis.

Sincerely,

Henryk Handszuh
Chief, Quality in Tourism Development

CC: <emaccoll@world-tourism.org>, <ahuescar@world-tourism.org>,


<ptedjini@ world-tourism.org>

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