Streamlining the visa application process can boost recovery and growth in tourism
Streamlining the visa application process can boost recovery and growth in tourism
Lee-Anne Bac, Advisory Partner, BDO South Africa
Government’s decision to streamline and reduce bureaucratic delays to process and issue tourist visas is a positive development that will help boost recovery and growth of the tourism and leisure sector which has yet to rebound to levels last experienced in 2008/19.
Obtaining visas has been a significant hindrance to attracting tourists, especially from potentially lucrative source markets such as China and India and some African countries. It is against this background that the Department of Home Affairs launched the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) for accredited tour operators to use to apply for tourist visas. The department has also launched two more digital visas; the Screen Talent and Global Entertainment Scheme (STAGES) to make it easier for film crews to visit SA, and the Meetings, Events, Exhibitions and Tourism Scheme (MEETS) to facilitate easier entry into the country for international visitors attending conferences and exhibitions, as well as sporting and other global events.
While SA is one of the most open countries in the world from a visa perspective, what has not been measured is the bureaucracy for those who need a visa. An example is the struggles that Indian and Chinese national have experienced in obtaining visas to tour SA. Contrast this with visitors from western countries many of whom have no visa restrictions for short-stays. Similarly, nationals of some countries in Africa require a visa to visit SA.
Bureaucracy has been so bad that at a point a potential visitor had to present themselves in person at a SA embassy and supply tedious documentation only to be to be rejected due to an administrative issue. No wonder potential tourists have simply given up, creating a significant missed opportunity for the country.
Furthermore, film crews, conference and global event organisers have found it difficult to secure visas for longer stays and/or quick entry in the country. As a result, SA has lost out on big conferences and exhibitions that would have brought in extra business for hotels and lodges, restaurants, e-hailing companies among others. Exhibitions and conferences are both a tourism and economic development opportunity because there are a whole lot of economic and business activities that happen when they held, including showcasing SA.
This is why improving SA’s appeal as an attractive tourist destination and a market for international events is critical to the sector’s recovery, supported by increased bookings and additional investment which also create jobs and uplift communities in tourism catchment areas.
South Africa is yet to recover international tourism arrivals to pre-Covid (2019) levels. This is despite the fact that globally, world tourism recovered to pre-Covid levels in 2024. For the period January to May 2025, overseas arrivals to South Africa are still 14% behind where we were in 2018, which was our best performing year for international arrivals and 12% behind where we were in 2019. On a positive note, arrivals from African countries are on par with what we achieved in 2019.
Some notable countries that are lagging 2019 numbers include France which is 23% behind year to date, Italy which is 17% behind, and Germany and the UK which are each 9% behind. For China we’re 56% behind and India 27% behind 2019 levels. The poor recovery from the Chinese market is twofold i.e. firstly the slow delay in opening borders and outbound travel recovery in China and secondly our bureaucratic visa processing coupled with lack of direct air access – both of which make it complicated to travel to our beautiful country.
However, an encouraging trend is the growth in the number of African air arrivals, which is up 14% over 2019 levels. In total, African visitors account for 77% of the 4,2 million international visitors to South Africa between January and May 2025. The African market often gets dismissed as unimportant, with the belief that overseas visitors are the “big spenders”. This is no always the case and seeing an increase in African air arrivals is positive for our tourism industry and economy as a whole.
South Africa has experienced significant growth in the number of visitors from Ghana and Kenya, which is largely attributed to the removal of visa restrictions and opening up of air routes between the countries. Further improvement in the number of flights on the continent can potentially further boost more arrivals, not only in South Africa but the continent as a whole.
To further grow tourism, a combined effort by government and industry players in the sector is critical. We need to ensure that we get the basics right – as a well-functioning civil society and economy is the type of destination that tourists want to visit – when citizens are happy so are tourists. But we also need a holistic approach to improve SA’s image and portray the country’s the vibrancy. We have a wonderful country with so much to offer, including the weather, natural attractions and such amazing and hospitable people. In short, SA is its own best kept secret waiting to be discovered through tourism.