An article from the UK Guardian on Thursday, 16th
August, discussed how Home Secretary for the UK Theresa May blocked an attempt
to make it easier for Chinese visitors to obtain visas to visit the UK. She
argues that it would “pose a national security risk,” and she blamed poor
visitor numbers on “tourism chiefs not promoting Britain’s natural beauty
properly.”
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt revealed an £8m
plan following the Olympics to triple the number of Chinese visitors to Britain
by 2015, but May has stated her opposition to this plan. Currently, Chinese
visitors are able to obtain an EU visa that allows them to visit 25 EU
countries, but they need a separate visa to enter the UK. Hunt’s plan would
make obtaining a UK visitor’s visa much easier for the Chinese visitors, but
May has argued that “visa checks in Europe ‘do not match the UK decision
quality’” and claimed that “British visa controls are a ‘key tool in protecting
the public against significant harm.’” She cites national security as one of
her main motivations for rejecting the plan, fearing that allowing more Chinese
nationals to visit the UK would lead to more crime and a reduced sense of
national security.
The article concludes by admitting, “The
government is particularly keen to attract Chinese tourists because they are
estimated to spend an average of three times more than other overseas visitors,
but France receives 25-50% more Chinese tourists than the UK.
Brophy Solicitors
22.08.12
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