Better ties to Mexico will benefit province
Lifting of visa requirements to boost travel, pave way for business
B.C.’s ability to engage the Asia-Pacific region doesn’t depend entirely on Asia, but also south along the Pacific coast.
Last week, Ottawa said it will lift visa requirements for travellers from Mexico starting Dec. 1.
The announcement came during a two-day state visit by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto ahead of the “Three Amigos Summit” of the leaders of the NAFTA nations.
Claudia Franco Hijuelos, Mexico’s consul general in Vancouver, said in an earlier interview that the visa issue was one of the top reasons for Pena Nieto’s visit, noting the restrictions seriously hamper Canada’s ability to do business with Mexico — especially in sectors like tourism and international education.
“Why is lifting the visa restrictions so important? Because it does slow down interactions,” Franco Hijuelos said. “All the good synergies that you can have from the large contingent of Mexican students coming to B.C. every year — 5,000 of them and their families — if it were easier for them to come here, those numbers would surely increase, which is good for business and B.C. and bilateral interactions.”
Under the new visa rules, Mexicans wanting to work or study in B.C. will still need to apply for a permit, and those wanting to fly through a Canadian airport would need an Electronic Travel Authorization added to their passports. But normal leisure travel will no longer require a visa.
The change isn’t without its opponents. Officials in Ottawa identified a number of risks, such as an increase in the number of false asylum claims, and the possibility that the U.S. could clamp down at Canadian border crossings.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, however, has said keeping the visa restrictions would limit economic growth.
Another party that has lobbied Ottawa to drop the requirement has been the Vancouver Airport Authority. YVR has long wanted to leverage its sizable air traffic from Asia and connect passengers to Mexico and Latin America, making Vancouver a crucial hub. The visa restriction had been one of the main obstacles, said president and CEO Craig Richmond.
“Mexico is a vibrant and growing market for Canada, and we are thrilled to see the visa requirements lifted,” Richmond said in a statement. “Whenever we ease entry requirements, add new flights or welcome larger aircraft, the entire province and ultimately country benefits from higher tourism spending, increased tax revenue and the creation of new jobs.
“Once the cumbersome regulations are lifted, we anticipate visitor numbers from Mexico will increase.”
Last month, Tourism Vancouver said the city will welcome 9.8 million overnight visitors this year, 400,000 more than last year’s record high. One of the key drivers has been Mexico, where the increase for the first three months of 2016 was 45.2 per cent. Officials attributed that growth to a new daily non-stop flight between YVR and Mexico City.
Mexico also offers B.C. the most direct gateway to the rest of Latin America, something that cannot be overlooked, said Paola Murillo, director and founder of Latincouver, which promotes cultural and business exchange between the two regions.
“I certainly believe that with each passing year interest in trade is growing,” Murillo said, citing existing ties in mining and clean technology sectors. “There are many opportunities to use the talents and skills of Latin American students that are increasingly coming to Vancouver.
“The challenge is to quantify the type of contribution that each region can provide to the other, such as the number of local companies currently trading or interested in doing business in Latin America, the amount of investment available both in British Columbia and in the Latin American region.”
Franco Hijuelos said a mission featuring technology-sector entrepreneurs and students made its way to Vancouver in June as the latest sign of increased visibility of Mexico and Latin America in B.C.
“It’s very important to keep the North America perspective alive,” she said. “We believe that a regional approach gives the three of us (in NAFTA) an opportunity to project to the rest of the world, because there are competitive advantages we can achieve regionally.”
There are many opportunities to use the talents and skills of Latin American students that are increasingly coming to Vancouver.