I’ve been writing to Members of the European Parliament to express my opposition to the proposed ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System). I’m curious if there’s an active group lobbying against this initiative. I strongly believe this is a detrimental decision by the EU as it could harm the tourism industry.
I get, as a traveler, why we’d prefer not to have to fill out these forms. It was easier after all to just show up with a passport. But it’s the way the world is going. US and Canada require it for all visa free travelers except for each other, and it hasn’t seem to dampen tourism. Same in South Korea. Realistically I expect this to become the norm in more countries going forward. It’s probably easier for the governments to deal with, and it’s an excuse to tack on more fees to collect.