PR95299

LONDON, Apr. 5, 2022, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Six weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the impact on travel freedom and

mobility has been more dramatic than even the most pessimistic commentators

predicted at the war’s outset. The latest results from the Henley Passport

Index[https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index] — the original ranking of

all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders

can access without a prior visa — clearly illustrate the war’s profound and

perhaps irreversible impact on freedom of movement within the region as a new

Iron Curtain descends.

The invasion has triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War

II, with more than 4 million [ https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine]

Ukrainians having fled to neighbouring countries. The EU, US, Canada, and other

Western countries have closed their airspaces to Russia, imposed stiff travel

bans on individual Russian citizens, and in many cases have stopped processing

visa applications altogether, effectively condemning the Russian passport to

junk status throughout much of the developed world.

In stark contrast, the EU has approved an emergency plan allowing Ukrainians to

live and work in any of its 27 member states for up to three years while other

Western countries have adjusted their visa policies in favor of Ukrainian

passport holders or waived visa requirements altogether. According to the

latest Henley Passport Index [ https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index],

which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport

Association [ https://www.iata.org/] (IATA), Ukraine currently has a

visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 143, a record high for the country, which

now ranks 34th on the index (having climbed 26 places since 2012), while Russia

trails behind in 49th place, with a score of 117 — a gap that is likely to

widen in the coming months.

Elsewhere on the ranking, Japan and Singapore continue to share number one

spot, with their passport holders able to access 192 destinations around the

world visa-free, not taking temporary Covid restrictions into account. Germany

and South Korea hold joint-2nd place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of

190, while Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain share 3rd place, with their

passport holders able to access 189 destinations around the world without

having to acquire a visa in advance. The UK, which recently dropped all

remaining Covid-related restrictions, now sits in 5th place, with a score of

187, with the US just one place behind in 6th spot, with a score of 186.

Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index with its nationals only able to

access 26 destinations visa-free.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin [ https://chriskalin.com/ ], Chairman of Henley &

Partners[https://www.henleyglobal.com/], says the latest update provides a

unique snapshot of a volatile and rapidly changing world. "As the value of the

Russian passport rapidly declines and the world opens its doors to Ukrainians,

it is abundantly clear that the passport you hold determines your fate and

dramatically impacts the opportunities you have. While it is impossible to

predict what the world will look like in the shadow of a new Cold War, the

latest index suggests that the divide between Russia and much of the Western

world will only increase.

Commenting in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2022 Q2

https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2 ],

released today along with the latest Henley Passport Index

[ https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index], Dr. Parag Khanna

https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2/migration-adaptation-great-climate-challenge], bestselling author and Founder of FutureMap says creative solutions will be

needed as mass migration becomes the norm. "When faced with war or climate

disruptions our fight or flight instinct kicks in and the sensible response has

been to move in search of more suitable conditions. We are becoming a migratory

species again. In the coming decades climate disruptions threaten to make some

regions of our planet uninhabitable,and millions, if not billions, of people

will need to find new homes."

According to exclusive research by Henley &

Partners[https://www.henleyglobal.com/] and Deep Knowledge

Analytics[https://www.dka.global/] into the correlation between passport power,

and climate change vulnerability and preparedness, wealthy and developed

nations with the greatest visa-free access also score highly when it comes to

their readiness to adapt to the climate crisis. Charles Phillips

https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2/passport-climate-adaption]

of the Oxford Business Group says, "We can see close correlations between

climate adaptation performance and international travel freedom. It brings into

stark reality the fact that your citizenship and passport really do matter when

it comes to mitigating climate risk".

Sebastian Mikosz

https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2/travel-mobility-trends/fly-net-zero-2015-how-fly-sustainably-carbon-free-world],

Vice President of Environment and Sustainability at IATA [

https://www.iata.org/ ], says forecasts indicate demand for 10 billion

passenger journeys by 2050 (up from around 4 billion pre-pandemic). "Much of

this growth will come from passengers who have never had the opportunity to fly

before: in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We owe it to this next generation

of flyers to find sustainable solutions, so they can enjoy and benefit from air

travel as we have done so far."

Read the Full Press Release: [https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2]

Source: Henley & Partners