In this fictitious example, State policymakers are seeking to facilitate an increased interest in international tourism while managing risks. Tourism has the potential to boost economic growth and support job creation in regional areas, which is a priority of the national government. The policy formulation process, which involved many governmental and industry stakeholders, concluded that:
- There was considerable competition for a share of the international tourist market;
- Current visa processes were inaccessible, expensive and slow;
- The visa fee charged by the State’s overseas diplomatic representations was less than the real costs of visa processing;
- Tourists’ compliance with local laws was very high, including the fact that tourists generally departed before the expiry of their visas.
A cost/benefit analysis was undertaken showing that increasing tourism would deliver positive impacts to the economy that would mitigate revenue loss from visa fees. These findings led to the recommended policy solution to introduce a visa waiver for tourists, with appropriate safeguards to be exercised in the inward screening of arrivals at air and sea points of entry, along with a campaign to create a more welcoming culture at borders. Necessary policy instruments include: changes to the law to enable the visa waiver; information campaigns to inform potential tourists; training for border officials on visa arrangements and expected behaviours related to the welcoming border campaign.
What policy authority is needed?
The possible responsible ministers who may need to approve the policy and provide authority to proceed include those responsible for border, security, tourism and consular (visa) services, and potentially the foreign ministry for bilateral engagement. Finance or treasury ministers could also be involved as the policy also has financial implications: visa fees will be eliminated, leading to a drop in government revenue; there is also the need for increased spending on entry screening (so that lengthy entry processes do not diminish the policy objectives of creating a better entry system) as well as for the welcoming borders campaign. New spending usually requires particular processes to secure authority.
Collective and clear policy authority from these political stakeholders is important. These executive-level actors may also need to steer legislative changes through the legislature and argue for the release of funding for successful implementation.
What laws are needed to secure policy adoption?
There is a need for legislative change. This change will require a series of processes in accordance with national practice for drafting and clearing proposed laws, tabling with appropriate explanatory documentation, and supporting debate in the legislature. These highly context-specific processes will be guided by the national conventions.
What accountabilities are established?
The policy approval from the relevant ministers may be accompanied by a distribution of accountabilities for the policy delivery. These may be anchored under a single authority for overarching coordination with responsibilities distributed to those who work on delivery and therefore have certain controls. Accountabilities may have been agreed between officials in advance of presenting the policy recommendations to the political level or may be imposed “top down” (for instance, reporting on revenue losses and new expenditure; on tourist entry and exit data and levels of compliance). Establishing high-level and formal accountabilities at the adoption stage ensures the authorities for implementation are well supported and unambiguous.