ETA - A barrier to Tourism across Ireland

From today visitors from outside the EU will be required to register for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme by the UK Government. The scheme aimed at monitoring cross border travel has been seen as a threat to NI Tourism by MLA Conor Murphy.

"At the very least a time-limited exemption for people visiting up to seven days would cover most of our international visitors," he said.

The introduction of the scheme which will initially affect US and Australian visitors from today is expected to introduce an extra costs and time delay to visitors who previously had the freedom of movement across the Island - North and South. Tourism is worth some STG 210 million annually to the NI economy and its seen as one of the primary peace dividends as a result of the Good Friday agreement. Ever since there has been increasing engagement via the Shared Island Peace Funds with the Narrow Water Bridge in Warrenpoint as a primary example of new infrastructure across the border primarily aimed at tourists.

US visitors in particular are being actively encouraged to explore destinations outside of Dublin by Failte Ireland along the Wild Atlantic Way and Irelands Ancient east routes which both touch on border with NI. visitors previously would simply travel on to destination like the Titanic Exhibition in Belfast or The Giants Causeway in in Antrim as part of a day or extend trip along the way. Visitors to the hugely popular Cooley Peninsula region may choose not to venture across border or worse still not to venture out from Dublin in the first place.

Travel operators like McComb Travel in NI have already voiced concerns to the BBC estimating a downturn in travel when faced with a potential extra charge of STG 500 per coachload for customers from today.

The impact around Louth, Meath and Monaghan areas part of Irelands Ancient East is yet to be seen but placing any kind of barrier to travelers on one side of the border will obviously affect visit on the other side.

A call by Ministers in the NI executive for an exemption for Northern Ireland should be fully supported by our Government with the extension of the ETA scheme to include ALL EU stated from April 2nd 2025.

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