Nationals from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are now required to pay a £10 fee when they change flights at Heathrow or enter the UK for a limited period without a legal residence or visa.
The electronic travel authorisation scheme, introduced last November, is due to be extended to include most other countries in the autumn and to EU, European Economic Area and Swiss nationals in early 2025.
The Government said the scheme would help boost border security and improve travel for legitimate visitors.
But Heathrow has argued that applying the scheme to passengers who only ever transit between flights puts UK airports at a disadvantage to European hubs such as Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
The fees may already be having an impact, with 19,000 fewer transit passengers travelling from Qatar to Heathrow in the first four months of the scheme. The route recorded its lowest monthly proportion of transfer traffic in over 10 years during the period.
Heathrow also hit out at the so-called tourist tax, which came about after Mr Sunak axed VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors in 2020 following Britain’s departure from the EU. The Treasury has claimed that scrapping the tax would cost the exchequer £2bn.
But campaigners have argued it may be costing the Treasury almost £11bn annually as it deters two million tourists from visiting, according to research published last year by the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
Heathrow said: “Initiatives like the introduction of unnecessary visas for transiting passengers, the absence of tax-free shopping and the recently proposed hike in business rates underscore the need for ministers to take a cross-government approach to policy making.”
The Body Shop has been rescued from administration, in a deal that appears to secure the immediate future for 1,300 shop and office workers.A consortium led by
A new shopping centre is being developed in Spain with an estimated investment of over £294 million (€350 million). Valencia City Council has approved plans
The Body Shop has been rescued from administration by a consortium led by the British cosmetics tycoon Mike Jatania in a deal that will keep the ethical beauty
New month, new reason to shop items from Motorola, ASOS, Urban Decay and more (Picture: Metro/Getty)SHOPPING – Contains affiliated content. Products