Countries should review their existing visa norms so as to facilitate free movement of tourists across borders, United National World Tourism Organisation secretary general Taleb Rifai said here today.
"Travel and tourism, with their potential in mobilising resources and revenues, would contribute significantly to the economies and no country could ignore the contribution," Rifai said in a press conference on the sidelines of the UNWTO conference on sustainable tourism development and the joint meetings of the UNWTO Commissioners.
Despite the fact that tourist traffic was on a rise across the globe, the challenge was to streamline the visa processes so that people need not stand in queues to get the travel documents, he said.
"Countries that are complicating their visa norms are hurting themselves," he observed.
Replying to a query, Rifai said that time has come that tourism is emerging as a "human right".
Violence and issues related to safety were not confined to just any particular country alone, as people are confronted with complaints on such incidents everywhere. "Violence and crime is not about tourism, it concerns all of us as people," he said.
Union minister of state for tourism K Chiranjeevi said India has already allowed 'visa on arrival' status to the citizens of eleven countries and of another six countries that are in the pipeline for similar agreement.
The minister said India's tourism growth stood at 5.5 per cent last year higher than the world's average of 4 per cent.
