Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 April 2014
631. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to make it easier for visitors from China to obtain a tourist to visit here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19709/14]
View answerAs a result of a number of initiatives I have introduced the number of short stay visas (including visas for tourism purposes) granted to Chinese nationals has grown steadily from just over 7,300 in 2011 to over 8,100 in 2013, an 11% increase. The approval rate for visa applications from China is 92% which compares very favourably internationally. Visa applications for Chinese nationals living in China are handled by a dedicated Irish Visa Office in Beijing, which is a sub-office of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department.
These initiatives offer Chinese nationals who wish to travel to Ireland as tourists a number of options. For example, the Irish Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme, introduced with effect from 1 July 2011, has proved to be very successful in facilitating Chinese nationals who wish to visit Ireland. The Programme applies to holders of UK short stay visas from eighteen selected countries, including China, and allows visitors, who are in possession of a UK visa, to travel on to Ireland without the need to apply for a separate Irish visa. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, in their latest report on the impact of the Programme estimate that there has been an additional 12,700 visits to Ireland by Chinese nationals, between July 2011 and October 2013, as a direct result of the Programme i.e. in addition to the growth in those visiting the State using Irish visas.
Chinese nationals can also apply for a visa as part of an Approved Destination Scheme (ADS) Group Tour, for an individual tourist visa or for a visit visa which is normally used for visiting family members. Several measures have been introduced in the last number of years to encourage this type of tourist to Ireland resulting in an ADS visa being now one of the most straightforward and quickest Irish visas to obtain with processing times being less than five working days normally.
In recognition of the growing number of affluent and independent tourists from China, a scheme to enable independent Chinese travellers to come to Ireland was introduced in November 2011. This category of visa application is processed within 10 working days. All processing times are, of course, dependent on the required supporting documentation being provided by the applicant. To help with this, application guidelines for all visa categories are published on the Irish Embassy website in English and Chinese. I continue to seek, with my officials in INIS, ways in which the visa regime may be enhanced in order to encourage and facilitate tourism to Ireland, especially from emerging markets such as China. In this regard, work is continuing between INIS and the UK Home Office, on the development of short-stay Common Travel Area (CTA) Visa arrangements which will allow tourists and business visitors to travel to the CTA and to travel freely between Ireland and the UK on the basis of a single visa.
