Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, Justice Minister Alan Shatter and Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar today launched the first ever Irish Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme.
This Programme is an integral part of the Government’s Jobs Initiative and is intended to promote tourism, particularly from emerging markets. It is due to commence on Friday 1 July 2011 and will run up to the end of October 2012, as a pilot, taking in the period of the London Olympics.
You can view the Taoiseach's and Tánaiste's speeches below
Under the Programme, tourists or business people who have lawfully entered the UK, including Northern Ireland, on a valid UK visa will be able to travel on to Ireland without the requirement to obtain an Irish visa. They will be allowed to stay in Ireland for up to 3 months or until their UK visa runs out, whichever is the shorter.
Nationals of sixteen countries in all are included in the programme. The countries involved are India, Kazakhstan, Peoples Republic of China, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.
You can view the speeches by the Justice and Tourism Ministers below...
It was also announced, as part of the initiative, that nationals of these countries, who are long-term legal residents in the UK, will have the cost of an Irish visa waived should they wish to visit Ireland. It is estimated that there are up to 1 million people in this category in the UK.
The Taoiseach described the Programme as an...
...innovative package which is clearly focussed on encouraging more tourists from new and untraditional markets to visit Ireland
The Tánaiste described the initiative as...
...an excellent example of a joined-up Government response to what is a genuine constraint to the growth of Irish tourism in new and emerging markets such as China, India and the Gulf.
Read the full press release here.A question and answer session was held after the press conference which can be viewed below...