A file image of passport stamps. Credit: Megan Ellis According to the Democratic Alliance, the new South African visa regulations have killed almost 1 000 job opportunities.
"It is estimated that the first two quarters of this year will see a drop of 70% in tourist arrivals," the DA's James Vos said in a statement.
"One of the main reasons given for this decline by the stakeholders I met with are the Visa regulations that came into effect in June this year."
Vos said that the Tourism and Business Council of South Africa calculated that every 12 tourists entering the country creates one job opportunity.
He said that South Africa has therefore lost 971 job opportunities based on the decrease in tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2015.
"It is clear that these regulations have a direct and devastating impact on tourism and the ability of our economy to create jobs," he said.
Vos said he had personally received an email from an "irate" director of a tour operator company which will no longer consider South Africa as a destination.
"Just last night I received an email from an irate director of a tour operator company, specialising in school sports tours to South Africa from the United Kingdom who have 2 400 students travelling to our country in the next few months," he said.
"After 11 of their number were denied boarding a flight to South Africa last night, due to a lack of communication from the South African embassy on visa requirements which they therefore could not comply with, 'they will not be considering South Africa as a destination in the future as a result of the current implementation of the Visa regulations and Immigration Act in South Africa'," Vos said.
Meanwhile advisory firm Grant Thornton has said that South Africa's tourism industry is in crisis, with an unprecedented drop in foreign tourist arrivals. Read the full story here.
Source: 'Visa laws killed almost 1 000 jobs'
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