Forum hears UK’s plan to charge £10 and attendant bureaucracy could deter and pose difficulties for some tourists seeking to visit North
Forum hears UK’s plan to charge £10 for Electronic Travel Authorisation and attendant bureaucracy could deter and pose difficulties for some tourists seeking to visit NorthFine Gael Senator Emer Currie told the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly the ETA was 'currently unworkable' and stood at odds with longstanding arrangements and principles. Photograph: Enda O'Dowd
Following protests from the Irish Government, the British government has exempted people who are lawfully resident in Ireland from having to apply for an ETA before travelling to Northern Ireland or Britain. The Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance’s call for a seven-day waiver for tourists travelling to the North from the Republic, or Britain, which would cover 93 per cent of the numbers who visit each year, was supported by the assembly.
“However, it is unclear whether travel companies will be liable if their passengers do not have an ETA. Likewise, it is unclear whether drivers would be insured in traffic incidents if they required an ETA and did not have one,” the Currie report says. Noting the British government’s desire for an ETA was sparked by security concerns, the assembly accepted the recommendation that Dublin and London should “explore” whether those concerns could be met in other ways.