New West End Company and VisitBritian launch campaign to relax UK Visa for Indian travellers

According to a PTI report, with high-end Indian tourists emerging as one of the highest spenders in London's plush shopping district West End, the New West End Company and VisitBritian have launched a campaign called- The Visa-Ability Campaign, to urge the UK government to relax Visa norms for Indian travellers. The campaign has been taken to Damian Green, Immigration Minister, UK; John Penrose, Tourism Minister, UK and Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of Culture and Olympics, UK. The high spend is expected to be mainly driven by international shoppers from India and China, who currently enjoy favourable exchange rates. The objective is to encourage them to visit and spend in the West End instead of shopping in other countries. Following a recent survey of West End retailers, 40 per cent predicted that the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games would boost sales by ten per cent. With one million additional international visitors set to flock into London's West End during this period, this further strengthens the importance of the Visa-ability Campaign. Jace Tyrrell, Director of Communications, New West End Company said, "In the lead up to 2012 with international visitors reaching an all time high, our main territories for concern with the current Visa restrictions are China, UAE, Russia, India, South Africa and Thailand. It is these key markets make up 25 per cent of our visitor numbers and significantly boost sales. In July of 2009 when Visa restrictions were introduced to South Africa, visitor numbers dropped dramatically by 15 per cent, with the Olympic Games only two years away we need to ensure that we are doing everything we can to keep these international markets." http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/new-west-end-company-and-visitbritian-launch-campaign-to-relax-uk-visa-for-indian-travellers-10565