ePassport Gates expansion to ease travel for passengers to the UK from seven countries including Canada

TORONTO, May 21, 2019 /CNW/ - Citizens of Canada are among seven countries who can now use ePassport gates, giving easier and faster entry into the UK.

The expansion of the ePassport gate eligibility is set to significantly reduce lines and improve the flow of passengers as well as the overall experience at the UK border.

In line with the ePassport gate expansion, which was previously only available to nationals from the UK and the EU, eligible nationals will be exempt from the landing card requirement, providing a faster route through the border.

VisitBritain Executive Vice President, Americas Gavin Landry said:

"We aim to provide a world-class experience for the millions of Canadian visitors who travel to the UK every year, and we are thrilled this new process will allow travellers even more time to explore on the ground.

"The new eGate access for eligible travellers boosts our competitive tourism offer and our message of welcome, building on the growth we have seen and inspiring even more visitors from Canada to book a trip to the UK right now.

With more direct airline routes and more daily flights from Canada on offer, and with the UK offering great value and a fantastic summer of events lined up, it really is a great time to book a trip."

VisitBritain is expecting 897,000 visits from Canada this year, up 6% on the previous year with Canadian visitors forecast to spend £676 million, up 8%.

Forward flight bookings from North America to the UK are currently tracking ahead 8% for arrivals from May to July this year compared to the same period last year. 

For a full list of who is eligible to use the system and other technical details please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-expands-use-of-epassport-gates-to-7-more-countries

For information on what's on in Britain this summer please see: https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/en

Notes to editors:
VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, is responsible for inspiring the world to explore Britain and for developing the UK's visitor economy.

• Visitors traveling to Britain can find out more information from visitbritain.com plus purchase money and time saving local transport, sightseeing, attraction, and theatre tickets from visitbritainshop.com.
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SOURCE VisitBritain