SA tourism numbers up despite visa laws

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Published Jan 19, 2016

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Cape Town - Data published on Monday by Statistics South Africa has shown an increase in foreign visitors to South Africa from 2014 to 2015.

This came despite concerns over the effects of more stringent visa laws, which were implemented last year may have on tourism numbers.

In June 2015, stricter visa regulations from the Department of Home Affairs took effect, with the new regulations requiring that foreigners who wanted to visit SA needed to apply for visas in person at South African embassies abroad.

The regulations also required that parents travelling in or out of South Africa with minors be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate.

Many believed the updated visa laws would put a strain on the tourism industry and the growing public concern eventually prompted the Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba to ease the laws in October last year.

While there were still worries about the effect the short-lived amended visa regulations may have had on the tourism sector, data from Stats SA showed a positive growth in the tourism industry, with more people visiting South Africa last year, compared to the year before.

According to Stats SA, from October 2014 to October 2015, the number of foreigners visiting South Africa grew by three percent.

The majority of the tourists, outside of Africa, came from Europe, with the United Kingdom (UK) leading the pack.

However, Africans still formed the bulk of foreign travellers to SA, with 28,2 percent of African tourists having come from Zimbabwe.

However, the data also showed that the number of tourists from many African countries had decreased since 2014.

The new travel regulations and weakened rand have also not deterred South Africans from travelling abroad. Stats SA reported that from October 2014 there was a 1,5 percent increase in South Africans travelling outside the country.

African News Agency

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