A “visa liberalisation” initiative announced by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter will make it easier for tourists from India, China and Middle Eastern states to visit Ireland.
Mr Shatter said current regulations acted as a disincentive to foreign tourists and businesspeople who wanted to consider a trip to Ireland as an "add-on" to a visit to Britain.
He said the €60 ordinarily required to enter the State would be waived for nationals of 14 countries who had already obtained visas to enter the UK for short-term visits of up to 180 days. This will apply to people from China, India, Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries.
"I believe it is vital to ensure that this State is an easily accessible and attractive holiday and business destination and that the tens of thousands who visit the UK as our immediate neighbour have an incentive to also spend some time with us on this island," Mr Shatter said.
The pilot scheme, aimed at what Mr Shatter called "growing and emerging" tourism markets, will co-incide with the 2012 Olympics. Mr Shatter said Ireland risked losing out on "a substantial tourism spin off" if it did not alter its visa requirements.
The Eastern European countries involved are: Belarus; Montenegro; Russian Federation; Serbia; Turkey and Ukraine. The Middle Eastern states are: Bahrain; Kuwait; Qatar; Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The scheme will also apply to citizens of Uzbekistan.
Describing the scheme as "a major change in public policy", Mr Shatter said it would run from this July until October 2012 and could be expanded. He said the scheme had the potential to significantly increase the number of visitors coming to Ireland.
"I am not, of course, going so far as to suggest that these measures will transform our tourism industry but they have the potential, if properly followed through, to significantly increase our tourist visitor numbers."
Mr Shatter said the announcement would save potential tourists the inconvenience of form-filling and document submission. He gave the example of a family of four from India who wanted to travel to Ireland after visiting London, saying the cost of their visas would currently be €240. "This will be zero from July 1st," he said.
Concluding the announcement in the Dail, Mr Shatter said his message was: "Ireland is very much open for business".
