Language:
Search
 
TOURIST VISAS FACILITATION
ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
Visitors from emerging countries are among the most interesting potential customers for Italy, given the exponential growth of tourism flows in recent years. As established by the international agreements, tourists from Countries such as Russia, India and China need a tourist visa for entry into Italy and are therefore required to submit to the Italian Diplomatic and Consular Delegation in their country of residence or country of origin all the documentation required for entry into our country. It is a rather complex procedure because the visa may only be issued following the scrutiny of a series of documents and the assessment of requirements and conditions established by the rules. In reality, the visa issuing procedures and processing times often act as a barrier to entry for tourists. Market research surveys (ETOA Origin Market Report 2010 "Europe: Open for Business?") estimate that 21% of potential tourists from emerging markets give up their travel plans to Europe due to visa requirements. The main problem to be addressed was to facilitate the request of the tourist visa and to process in the shortest possible time and more efficiently the growing number of requests from the Countries mentioned. Arising from these issues, a cooperation project between the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) was implemented, providing support for the issuing visas process and shortening the processing times. This has led to an increase in the flow of visitors, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the tourism activities promoted by our country.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board, is the Italian agency in charge of the international promotion of the overall image of the national tourism offer and of supporting its marketing activities. - LEGISLATION AND FRAMEWORK OF THE PROJECT In 2002 the Italian Parliament, with decree n.273 of 12/12/2002, launched the speeding up procedure strategy for the issuance of tourist visas, putting into practice the collaboration between the offices of the diplomatic-consular network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT). Law n. 273 authorized the allocation to ENIT of 1 million euro for each of the years 2002, 2003 and 2004 with the aim of undertaking a series of initiatives to speed up the issuing process of the tourist visas. ENIT has subsequently continued to provide this cooperation, within the scope of its own budget. ENIT, in consultation with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), has therefore implemented a strategy and action plan to enhance the capacity of the visa offices of some diplomatic and consular delegations to meet with efficiency and promptness the growing tourist demand, assigning to the activities of the release of visas further technical resources (workstations and computers) and human resources (ENIT staff). The diplomatic-consular delegations interested in the collaboration are identified on the basis of the current and actual trend of tourism flows and the rate of growth of the number of tourist visas. The staff of ENIT, in addition to providing tourist information to interested parties, performs a variety of services aimed at speeding up the process expected for administrative practices, including the provision of information to individuals, agencies and tour operators, scheduling of appointments, translation and interpreting, collecting documentation, the return of passports and providing assistance with monitoring the returns. The above-mentioned collaboration between MAE and ENIT ensures the objective of increasing the number and speeding up the procedures for the issuing of tourist visas. The performance of the results obtained by ENIT through its services is evidenced by the staggering increase in the number of tourist visas issued – for example a reported increase at the beginning of the project, between 2003 and 2004, 254% for China, Russia 24% and India 88%. Given the positive results obtained, from 2004 onwards, there followed a series of agreements between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ENIT that have strengthened more and more the institutional actions in support of the attraction of tourists to Italy within a system, significantly improving the delivery service of visas. The aforesaid collaboration – most recently confirmed by a new Protocol between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian National Tourism Board in relation to visas (signed 29 January, 2013) – has been included by the European Commission among the “good practices” in Europe, as a model to follow “to increase tourist flows by strengthening the capacity of diplomatic missions and consular posts to respond rapidly and efficiently to visa demands”. "..in the period 1 January to 31 August 2011, visa issued in China increased by 100% when compared to the same period in the previous year, further to the efforts deployed in simplifying procedures and waiting time." [Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament of November 2012 about the “Implementation and development of the common visa policy to promote growth in the EU” (COM (2012) 649)].
 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
This initiative can be considered innovative in that it constitutes a collaboration and an institutional synergy that combines the purely administrative aspects of the issuance of a tourist visa, operated by the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a promotional aspect provided by the staff of ENIT. The staff of ENIT, as well as performing a number of services that aim to speed up the process of the administrative practices, carries out a promotional function and providing information to all those who are preparing for a trip to Italy and require the issuance of a tourist visa. In addition, ENIT’s staff also plays a part in liaising between tour operators and travel agencies that are registered with the Embassies and Consulates General of Italy for the procedure in the issuance of a tourist visa.

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
Since 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board have perfected their collaboration through the following steps: 1) Selection of diplomatic and consular representation on the basis of the current and actual trend of tourism flows and the rates of increase in the number of tourist visas. 2) Identification of the services provided by the ENIT staff. 3) Selection and provision by ENIT, of instrumental resources (workstations and computers) and human resources to be used at each identified location. 4) Monitoring and evaluation of the results obtained. 5) Redefinition of resources according to actual needs and trends
 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
The stakeholders involved in the project are: 1) The offices of the diplomatic-consular network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2) ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board.
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
The project was initially funded for the years 2002, 2003 and 2004 according to the regulation 273/2002. ENIT subsequently funded the project with funds from its own budget, except for the years 2011 and 2012 during which MAE reimbursed ENIT for expenses incurred for their activities. The amounts spent by ENIT were as follows: - For the period 2003/2011 the total costs amounted to Euro 9,140,419 - In 2012 the amount was equal to Euro 619,200 - In 2013 the sum of Euro 453,042 was assigned to the project relating to the payment of salaries of employed staff, the acquisition of instrumental resources and the cost of the management of administration and operation (telephone charges, stationery, maintenance of equipment, etc.). The personnel employed in the various diplomatic-consular locations is established from year to year based on the performance of tourist flows and the rates of increase of the number of tourist visas. In 2003, the year of commencement of the project, ENIT has provided the diplomatic-consular offices with a total of 27 personnel distributed as follows: 8 workers in China (4 in Beijing, 3 in Shanghai and 1 in Canton), 4 in India (2 in Mumbai and 2 in New Delhi), 11 in Russia (9 in Moscow, 2 in St. Petersburg), 4 in Ukraine (Kiev). In 2012 the total number of ENIT staff was 44 units distributed as follows: 23 units of staff in China (10 in Beijing, 7 in Shanghai and 6 in Canton), 6 in India (3 in Mumbai and 3 in New Delhi), 11 in Russia (7 in Moscow, 4 in St. Petersburg), 4 in Ukraine (Kiev). Currently, following the last Protocol between the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian National Tourism Board signed on 29 January 2013, the collaboration extended into more countries, including Kazakhstan (Astana), Azerbaijan (Baku), Armenia (Yerevan), Belarus (Minsk) and Georgia (Tbilisi).
 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
The main results that demonstrate the success of the initiative are: 1) A remarkable increase in the number of tourist visas issued: from 2003 to 2012 the number of visas issued in Russia and Ukraine rose from 139,545 to 616,632, with an increase of 342% (+18% yearly rate of growth - CAGR), in India they went from 5,650 to 37,785, with an increase of 569% (+24% CAGR), in China they rose from 5,389 to 178,492, with an increase of 3,212% (+48% CAGR). The last Protocol between MAE and ENIT, signed on 29 January 2013, has selected new diplomatic / consular locations to be included in the agreement, which registered, from January to November 2013, compared to the same period in the previous year, a growth rates of 114% in the number of tourist visas issued in Tbilisi (Georgia), 24% in Astana (Kazakhstan), 21% in Minsk (Belarus), 20% in Baku (Azerbaijan) and 13% in Yerevan (Armenia). Furthermore, for the same period, the number of tourist visas issued continue to grow in Moscow (+21%), St. Petersburg (+73%), Kiev (+37%), New Delhi (+20%) and Mumbai (+9%). 2) Thanks to the support of the ENIT personnel, the average time for the processing of a tourist visa has decreased sharply, with a reduction of 71% in Mumbai, 70% in New Delhi, 60% in Guangzhou and 50% in Beijing. 3) The Visas Code of Law (REGULATION (EC) No 810/2009) determines that: a. the maximum time to obtain an appointment for submitting a visa application is two weeks b. Applications shall be decided on within 15 calendar days of the date of the lodging of an application which is admissible Currently in the locations covered by the cooperation agreement: a. the average time to obtain an appointment for a tourist visa is 4,6 days (1 day in Moscow, 2 in Mumbai, 3 in Astana, 4 in Tbilisi, 5 in Baku and New Delhi and 12 in Minsk) b. The average time for the decision on a tourist visa application is 4,1 days (2 days in Mumbai, 3 in Moscow and Baku, 4 in Tbilisi, 5 in Astana and New Delhi and 7 days in Minsk) 4) The cooperation agreement between MAE and ENIT was included by the European Commission among the “good practices” on visa issuance at a European level. [Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament of November 2012. (COM (2012) 649)]
 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
In all diplomatic / consular locations covered by the agreement, ENIT carries out a monthly, bi-annual and annual report that evaluates and links the number of staff employed and the number of visas issued with the costs incurred for activities.
 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
No particular problems have been encountered during the implementation of the project. The collaboration between the two institutions has immediately produced excellent results as shown by the statistics on the number of tourist visas issued since 2003. Some difficulties and delays in the visas issuing process may occur during periods of peak tourist season, when the requests are higher than the annual average. These issues are normally addressed and overcome through a reprogramming of the staff working hours and through the temporary recruitment of new staff.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
The key benefits of the initiative consist in a faster and more efficient completion of the visa procedures for both the public and tour operators registered with Embassies and Consulates. The improved processing procedure and the collaboration between the two public institutions have immediately produced excellent results as shown by the statistics on the number of tourist visas issued (see section 7.1) Remarkable has also been the positive impact on the public and tour operators: the average time to issue a visa has noticeably decreased. (see section 7.2 and 7.3). The ENIT staff also fulfills an information / promotional role with regard to tourists and provides a liaison with tour operators and travel agencies that are registered with the Embassies and Consulates General of Italy for the procedures of tourist visa completion. This has produced a better delivery of service, thus facilitating a more efficient organization and planning of the trip both for the tourist and the tour operators. These results are regularly monitored by ENIT personnel through reports on their activity.
 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
The scheme can easily be replicated. In fact, in almost all locations where ENIT operates and where it is necessary to have a tourist visa to travel to Italy this initiative is replicated successfully and without any particular problems of implementation. The funds made available by ENIT for extra costs incurred are largely recovered by the "Italian system" as the higher tourist flow generated directly contributes to the economic development of all the country. It would be desirable, in the future, if the amount collected for the visas issuance could be re-invested in order to further intensify the existing collaboration and extend it to new Countries.
 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
The collaboration between the offices of the diplomatic-consular network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian National Tourist Board has shown that the coordination strategy and the teamwork between the institutions can, from a “Country System” viewpoint, effectively enhance the entire Italian system and create benefits for all stakeholders. The project has demonstrated that more modern policies and streamlined procedures in the tourist visas processing have substantial effects on the development of tourism and the overall economy of a Country, generating an increase in income and employment. The most important lesson learned as a result of the scheme implementation is that sometimes simple and relatively inexpensive solutions may produce considerable results. To further improve the procedure of the visa service, the introduction of info desks located within the Visa Centres and dedicated to the promotion of tourism to Italy, is currently being considered.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Giuseppe Impellizzeri
Title:   Executive for Planning and Comunication Office  
Telephone/ Fax:   +39 064971395 / +39 064971317
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   giuseppe.impellizzeri@enit.it  
Address:   Via Marghera n.2
Postal Code:   00185
City:   Rome
State/Province:  
Country:  

          Go Back
Print friendly Page