Facilitating visas – in need of a magic wand?

His answer was immediate. He’d facilitate visas.

It was a fitting end to his remarks on the positive impact of the travel industry, which over the last 50 years has grown from 25 million to 1.1 billion international travelers.

As he explained, the travel and IT revolutions are changing the game, making the world smaller and helping many people to understand that this is our world and we’re in it together.

Yet visa restrictions make travel more difficult for many people around the world, particularly as the weight of travel shifts from the North and West to the East and South. With about 200 countries in the world, citizens of some countries only need visas to visit 25, yet citizens of other countries may be required to get visas in as many as 175.

The issue of visa restriction reappeared throughout the day. Wakanow.com founder Obinna Ekezie explained his 3-week hassle to get a 5-day visa to attend the conference, and also how his company is working with different destinations in the Middle East and Caribbean to facilitate travel for Nigerians.

Tony Wheeler, Lonely Planet co-founder, closed the day with a humorous review of his experience as a traveler, including his trouble with visas in the US Virgin Islands and India .

Removing red tape in travel can have a significant impact. Our report, Shaping the Future of Travel in Asia Pacific , explained how the growth of free trade agreements amongst APAC countries was helping to remove barriers, and to increase travel.