Visa facilitation is central to stimulating economic growth and development through tourism. Crossing international borders is fundamental to the tourist experience but cost, waiting time and difficulty of obtaining visas deter potential tourists from travelling.
Joint research by the UNWTO and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) demonstrates that improving visa processes could generate an additional US$ 206 billion in tourism receipts and create as many as 5.1 million jobs by 2015 in the G20 economies. On the year of the 20th Anniversary of the Samarkand Declaration on Silk Road Tourism, the 4th UNWTO Silk Road Ministers' Meeting convened to discuss visa facilitation as a means to further advance tourism development along the ancient trade route... http://ipmimagazine.com/medical-health-insurance/index.php/en/daily-insurance-industry-news/expatriate-business-travel-tourism-news/item/2633-silk-road-ministers-deepen-commitment-to-visa-facilitation
