Cape Town - Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom has appointed a task team to look into the damage caused by strict new visa regulations.
The regulations, which require foreign visitors to appear in person at the South African embassy in their own country among other requirements, were imposed by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba. But while Gigaba has stood by his regulations, Hanekom told Talk Radio 702’s John Robbie there had been a dramatic decline in the number of tourists visiting South Africa.
He was particularly concerned by a drop of almost 40 percent in the number of Chinese tourists entering the country.
Hanekom supported efforts to improve security at the borders, but told the radio station that they had to find a better way of doing it.
Meanwhile, hi-tech measures are needed to combat dwindling tourism numbers as a result of South Africa’s strict new visa regulations, according to Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde.
He has called for streamlined systems such as e-visas, visas, and biometrics on arrival, if South Africa wants to prevent tourism numbers from dropping any further.
Briefing the Western Cape Parliament’s standing committee on Economic Opportunities and Tourism on Tuesday, Winde reiterated his call for visa regulations to be revised.
Winde said South Africa should instead follow the examples of other countries competing for their share of the tourism pie. “We need to have a look at visas on arrival and have a look at our competitors and what they are doing.
Bolivia, Ethiopia and Rwanda are doing exactly that. They’ve shifted to visas on arrival.
“We must also consider collecting biometric data on arrival at airports, instead of travellers having to travel sometimes to a neighbouring country for fingerprints to be taken.”
Winde said these proposals were made by the provincial government’s red tape reduction unit aimed at lessening the negative impact of visa regulations on the tourism sector in the province.
Other proposals included making provision for an electronic visa application system, where tourists can apply for visas online instead of having to apply at a South African embassy,
This would create capacity and improve efficiency at the Department of Home Affairs, as well as ensuring that Home Affairs officials understand the legislation and regulations to minimise any possible misinterpretation.
The MEC said ideally biometric visas should not be required from countries “where we are seeking to grow tourism”, such as Australia, while a balance should be found between preventing child trafficking and growing the economy through tourism and investment.
Winde believes that the visa regulations will not make any difference to the issue of child trafficking. “We are trying to fix something with the wrong piece of legislation… it is going to have unintended consequences that are really negative to our economy, to jobs and the people of our country,” he added.
Winde said Gigaba has “the power to change regulations with the stroke of a pen”.
“You can change legislation at any time and that is what we have been asking for since day one. Let’s really understand the impact of this legislation, and I call for it again, let’s change it. This is not legislation, this is regulation,” Winde told the committee.
Committee chairwoman and DA MPL Beverley Schäfer asked the MEC to continue to monitor and assist lobbying on the piece of legislation.
ANC MPL Siyazi Tyamtyam said while the provincial government had been outspoken about the visa regulations, it had failed to present the necessary proof in terms of a report as to why the legislation should be changed.
Cape Argus