Government officials in the UK have announced a new two-year visa for Chinese nations wishing to visit the country. Beginning on Monday, it will enable visitors from China to make multiple trips to the UK for longer periods, the government said in a statement.

Navigating the ins and outs of passport and visa processing can be extremely difficult, often requiring hours of research, hours of document preparation, and sometimes even long distance travel.  Luckily, Passport Health’s new visa and passport processing service looks to end the hassle and create a one-stop-shop for all of your pre-travel health and documentation needs.

Visa Europe and Conferma have announced an agreement to make the Conferma Virtual Travel Account platform and network available to Visa Europe members – banks and other payment service providers from 37 countries across Europe – and their commercial customers. Virtual Travel Accounts offer customers greater efficiency and control when paying for business travel.

Ukraine made yet another step toward facilitation and further liberalization of the visa regime with the EU, enabling Ukrainian citizens to undergo improved, simplified and clear EU visa application procedures. Such is the summary of the statement which accompanied the new Law of Ukraine “On ratification of the agreement between Ukraine and the European Union introducing amendments to the visa facilitation agreement between Ukraine and the European Community”, signed by the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych on April 8, 2013.

Officials at the European Union have launched the new Visa Information System (VIS) allowing visa applications to be processed faster thanks to the use of biometrics. Fingerprints and a digital facial image will facilitate the identification of visa holders and help to avoid identity theft, the EU explained.

Visa has launched a new report illustrating the positive impact of mega-sporting events and the influence they have on tourism spending in the event host countries. Among the first organisations to note the increasing important of mega-sporting events to tourism was World Sports Tourism Congress, which will be examining the impact of the phenomenon during the Rugby World Cup later this year.