All non-European travellers to the UK who do not need a visa will have to buy an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) starting on January 8.

Beginning on April 2, travellers from Europe will also require an ETA, which is associated with their passport and costs £10. Travellers from the Gulf states were the only ones covered by the ETA when it was first introduced earlier this year.

Due to the Common Travel Area arrangements, which allow Irish nationals to travel freely across the United Kingdom, and the visa waiver program, which exempts non-Irish citizens who reside in Ireland, Irish persons entering Northern Ireland are exempt from the need for an ETA.

Given that 70% of foreign visitors to Northern Ireland pass its land border after arriving in the Republic of Ireland, the region's tourism industry has been warning for more than two years about the possible repercussions of the post-Brexit plan.

When they discover that they must apply for and pay for an ETA, they worry that both individual tourists and tour operators planning excursions to the island of Ireland will decide not to visit the area.

As the complete rollout draws nearer and the UK government shows no interest in granting another exception under the plan, their worries are growing.

The Irish Government and two tourism marketing organisations, Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland, have also voiced concerns about the effects on the industry. Conor Murphy, the Stormont Economy Minister, is urging the UK government to give visitors who enter Northern Ireland a pass.

In a letter to Seema Malhotra, the Home Office's minister for migration and citizenship, a group of 25 significant industry participants warned of the consequences if an exemption was not given.