Citizens of passports with greater global access are more reluctant to travel

Passport holders with the most global access are currently the most restricted and reluctant to enjoy their freedom of travel, according to the latest results from the Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association ( IATA). Japan ranks first in the index - the original ranking of the world's passports based on the number of destinations they can access without a prior visa - with a record score of 193 visa-free or visa-on-arrival, while Singapore and South Korea come in second, with a score of 192.

However, despite the unprecedented global access enjoyed by citizens of these three nations throughout the index's 17-year history, international passenger demand in the Asia Pacific region has only reached 17% of pre-Covid levels, according to the latest IATA statistics, which remained under 10% for most of the last two years. This figure is well below the global trend, in which markets in Europe and North America have recovered to around 60% of pre-crisis levels of travel mobility. Commenting on Henley's Q3 2022 Global Mobility Report, IATA Chief Economist Dr Marie Owens Thomsen notes that passenger numbers should reach 83% of pre-pandemic levels in 2022: "

The remaining top 10 places are occupied by member states of the European Union in the latest ranking, in which Germany and Spain jointly rank third, with access to 190 visa-free destinations. Finland, Italy and Luxembourg follow closely behind in fourth place with 189 destinations, and Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden share fifth place allowing holders to travel to 188 destinations around the world without a visa. Both the United Kingdom and the United States have dropped, ranking at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. On the other hand, Afghanistan continues to rank last in the index and its nationals can only access 27 destinations globally without a visa. The global mobility gap between the world's most and least powerful passports now stands at an unprecedented 166 destinations.

Summer travel 
chaos As the travel chaos in the United States begins to ease after the Fourth of July holiday weekend, strikes and staff shortages are forcing Europe's airlines to cancel thousands of flights, which has caused queues for hours at the main airports. Heathrow Airport has even told airlines to stop selling summer tickets as the UK's biggest airport struggles to cope with a rebound in air travel.

El Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, presidente de Henley & Partners y creador del concepto del índice de pasaportes, dice que el reciente aumento de la demanda es apenas sorprendente: "Los últimos resultados son un recordatorio alentador del deseo humano de conectividad global, incluso a medida que algunos países avanzan hacia el aislamiento y la autarquía. El impacto de la pandemia fue diferente a cualquier cosa que hayamos visto en nuestra vida, y la recuperación y reivindicación de nuestras libertades de viaje, así como nuestro instinto innato de trasladarnos y migrar tomarán tiempo".

Russia increasingly isolated 
Russian passport holders are more isolated from the rest of the world than ever before, as sanctions, travel bans and airspace closures limit Russian citizens' access to all destinations except for a few in Central Asia and the Middle East. Currently, the Russian passport ranks 50th in the index, with a score of 119 without a visa or with a visa on arrival. However, due to the closure of airspace in the member countries of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom, Russian citizens are prohibited from traveling in most parts of the world, with the clear exception of Istanbul and Dubai, which have become transit focal points.

In contrast, the Ukrainian passport is currently ranked 35th in the index, and its holders can access 144 destinations around the world without the need for a visa in advance. In addition, Ukrainians displaced by the invasion were granted the right to live and work in the European Union for up to three years under an emergency plan in response to what has become Europe's largest refugee crisis. in this century. After the recent groundbreaking announcement by the European Council regarding the granting of candidate status to Ukraine - the first step towards full membership of the European Union - the travel freedom of Ukrainian holders is likely to increase further in the coming years. next years. 

The UAE is the undisputed winner of the pandemic
Throughout the turmoil of the past two years, one factor has remained constant: the ever-increasing strength of the UAE passport, now ranked No. 15, with a visa-free score of 176 or with visa on arrival. Over the past decade, the country has made unmatched progress as the index's top climber: in 2012, it was ranked 64th, with a score of just 106. As the latest Henley Private Wealth Migration Record shows (Henley Private Wealth Migration Dashboard), the UAE has also become the focus of intense interest from affluent investors, and is expected to see the largest net inflow of high net worth individuals globally in 2022, with a expected net increase of 4,000,

Peaceful countries have more powerful passports
Unique research by Henley & Partners comparing a country's visa-free access to its Global Peace Index score shows a strong correlation between the power of a nation's passport and its levels of peace . Every country that is in the top ten of the Henley Passport Index is also in the top ten of the Global Peace Index. The same goes for nations located at the bottom end of the rankings.

Commenting on the results of Henley's Global Mobility Report Q3 2022, Stephen Klimczuk-Massion, Quondam Fellow at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, says: "The passport is more than ever a business card and, depending which one we have and where we travel to will affect what kind of welcome we will receive, where we can go and how safe we ​​will be when we get there Now more than ever, it is a mistake to think of the passport as a simple travel document that allows us to go from A to B. The relative strength or weakness of a particular national passport directly affects the holder's quality of life and may even be a matter of life and death in some circumstances."