The EU is losing some 6.6 million potential travellers each year from six of the countries with most travellers due to “bureaucratic” Schengen visa requirements, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said yesterday.

Addressing a half day seminar focusing on how to facilitate tourism to the Mediterranean region, Dr Zammit Lewis lauded a recent European Commission proposal for more flexible visa rules to boost growth and job creation.

The changes proposed include setting the maximum dead­-­line for lodging a visa application from three to six months before the intended trip and also facilitating the process for frequent visitors.

The commission is also proposing a new type of visa (touring-visa) which would allow travellers to move in the Schengen area for up to a year without staying in one member state for more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

A recent EU study highlighted that in 2012 a total 6.6 million potential travellers from China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Ukraine were ‘lost’ due to cumbersome visa procedures. For Mediterranean countries, this translated to a ‘loss’ of some 1.5 million tourists.

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