Tourism begins before the first step is taken. Before a ticket is purchased or a room is booked, visitors assess destinations based on attractions, culture and events,  as well as ease of travel, which can influence their decision to visit or skip a destination. Effective travel facilitation measures that reduce frictions and simplify entry processes play a key role in attracting tourists, while cumbersome requirements can deter them. This issues paper explores the use of digital travel facilitation measures—such as e-visas, e-gates and e-forms—and analyses their impacts on visitor arrivals and traveller experience. The analysis points to the need for evidence-based policymaking in travel facilitation and the importance of human and institutional considerations in digitalisation efforts.