ETW Staff– Mumbai
The government of Mongolia has granted visa free access to 42 countries for up to 30 days for tourist and short business trips, in addition to the 20 countries already benefiting from visa free agreements.
Facilitation of tourist travel is closely interlinked with tourism development and can contribute in a decisive manner to tourism’s beneficial effects, including economic growth and job creation.
The decision comes at a time when the open skies resolution, passed by the Mongolian parliament in 2013, is also being implemented. The resolution is defined in the State Policy on civil aviation sector up to 2020 and aims to develop a competitive national civil aviation sector, in view of its potential contribution to socio-economic development.
Easing visa restrictions to stimulate travel is one of UNWTO’s recommendations to promote the growth of the tourism sector and its positive impact on the economy.
A report by UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) on the impact of visa facilitation on job creation through tourism, showed that improving visa processes and entry formalities could generate an extra US$ 206 billion in tourism receipts and create as many as 5.1 million additional jobs between 2012 and 2015 in the G20 economies alone.
Taleb Rifai, secretary-general, UNWTO, said, “We are very happy to see Mongolia following UNWTO recommendations and taking concrete action in the area of travel facilitation. With adequate policies, tourism can have an immense impact on GDP, exports and jobs, and visa facilitation and air liberalisation are central to maximising tourism’s development potential.”
