Damage From South Africa’s Visa Changes May Take Year to Fix

The proof is now in the pudding for South Africa as travelers choose other destinations where the visa process is simpler or where one doesn't exist at all.

— Dan Peltier

South Africa's tourism industry would need six to 12 months to recover its growth trajectory even if the government immediately scrapped new visa requirements blamed for a drop in international arrivals, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The number of international visitors to the country dropped by 11% between May and August after the government introduced the new measures, according to the council. Tourism was forecast to grow by 4% in the period.

"Our data show that the new visa requirements are the primary cause for the drop," David Scowsill, president and chief executive of the council, said by phone on Wednesday. "If you add the fact that the South African tourism sector was forecast to grow 4% annually, it means it is now facing an effective 15% decline."

The new measures include a stipulation that children entering South Africa must be accompanied by an adult in possession of a birth certificate that names both parents, and a requirement that prospective travelers attend a South African consulate to capture biometric data before departure.

"What we want is for biometric data to be captured at the airports on a person's arrival, as practiced by Australia and the U.S., and the scrapping of the birth-certificate requirement entirely," Scowsill said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Vecchiatto in Cape Town at pvecchiatto@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Gordon Bell at gbell16@bloomberg.net Robert Brand

This article was written by Paul Vecchiatto from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

Source: Damage From South Africa's Visa Changes May Take Year to Fix