South Africa will be easing visa rules for travellers from China and India. This is to attract tourists from these two countries in an effort to boost South Africa’s tourism.
Picture: Sourced / iStock (teekid)
As reported by BusinessTech, the authorization which is required of tourists from China and India before they travel can often serve as a deterrent.
Comparatively, travellers from a number of Western nations, including the US and UK, don’t need visas for short stays in South Africa.
According to Home Affairs minister, Leon Schreiber, a Trusted Tour Operators system will be implemented from January.
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The tour operators, which will be vetted by the African nation’s authorities, will ease entry processes for tourists from China and India by managing the entry requirements of organised tour groups.
As reported by Times Travel, this is set to result in less hurdles for tourists from both the key BRICS countries which are also high-potential markets.
Schreiber further added that the Trusted Operators program is temporary, as the government intends to eventually move towards an electronic travel authorization system.
South Africa’s visitor statistics serve as a reflection of the difficulty that comes with obtaining tourism visas. Last year, a total of 80 000 arrivals were from India, while only 37 000 were from China.
This is very different compared to the hundreds of thousands of tourists who arrived from the US and the UK. Thus, the easing of visa requirements is anticipated to result in more tourists, as well as to boost the economy.
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