UN Tourism reports visa openness back to pre-pandemic levels

Madrid : UN Tourism has released its latest Tourism Visa Openness report on global visa policies, revealing continuous shifts in international travel regulations. As per the report, fewer people worldwide now require a traditional visa to travel, falling from 77 per cent in 2008 to 59 per cent in 2018, and then to 47 per cent in 2023.

21 per cent of the world population do not need any form of visa, an increase from 17 per cent in 2008 and 20 per cent in 2018. 14 per cent of the world population can apply for visa on arrival, an increase from 6 per cent in 2008 and 15 per cent in 2018.

18 per cent of the world population can apply for eVisas, an increase from 3 per cent in 2013 and 7 per cent in 2018.

Asia and the Pacific had the highest openness score of all world regions. The most open sub-regions are South East Asia, East Africa and the Caribbean. The greatest increase in openness since the last report in 2018 was observed in South Asia and West Africa. The most restrictive regions remain Central and North Africa, North America and Northern and Western Europe.

Visa exemptions are particularly prevalent in the Caribbean and Central America. Visa on arrival policies is common in East Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and West Africa. Traditional visa requests in the Middle East decreased from 71 per cent of the global population in 2015 to 57 per cent in 2023. eVisas are prevalent in West and East Africa and South Asia.