According to VisitBritain, the country's visa process is costing the U.K. approximately £2.8 billion per year and deterring travel to the United Kingdom, reports the BBC.
Prime Minister David Cameron urged the private sector to do more to encourage international travelers to visit the U.K., and said that he wants Great Britain to be among the world's top five tourist destinations.
The complexities of the current visa system in the U.K. are deterring travel to the United Kingdom, and countries such as France and Germany are capitalizing on the influx of tourists from countries like China due to their simpler visa requirements.
Under the current system, visitors must provide the Home Office with detailed information regarding their income and expenditure, in addition to their opinions regarding terrorism and biometric data such as fingerprints.
Some experts believe that the U.K. must revise the current system if it is to remain an attractive destination for foreign visitors.
"Britain cannot afford to continue to deter visitors [with] complicated tourist visa processing procedures, which are also costly," said Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive officer of the British Hospitality Association, as quoted by Big Hospitality.
