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New visa rules a danger to future of tourism, panel tells Hanekom

Source: by Andiswa Maqutu, Business Day Live, 01/08/2015


SA`s new visa regulations, though well meant, have become a big threat
to its growth in international tourist arrivals in the past two years,
an SA Tourism Review report released on Friday said.
This reinforces a Grant Thornton report last month that said SA`s
tourism industry lost R886m in direct spending last year due to the
new visa regulations and R1.4bn would be lost this year.
Friday`s report was commissioned by Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom in
February. Mr Hanekom tasked a panel of experts in tourism, the
government and marketing with reviewing SA Tourism`s vision, mission,
strategy, plan and performance. SA Tourism is the government entity
tasked with promoting the country.
The new immigration regulations were a "major current concern", the
report found.
Additional administrative burdens on tourists, including biometric
visas and unabridged certificates, were impractical and likely to
result in many tourists choosing other destinations where "travel is
easier and more accessible".
The new rules require parents and guardians travelling with children
under 18 to provide unabridged birth certificates, and applications
for visas to be made in person so that biometric information can be
recorded.
"While the intention behind these new procedures might be sound, the
practical mechanics of compliance based on the current home affairs
design appears impractical," the report said, describing the new
regulations as a "market access barrier".
Japan does not issue birth certificates and Italy only issues them at
local offices.
Translation of certificates would be an additional "cost and hurdle"
for non-English-speaking countries.
Home Affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete said other countries that
were big tourist attractions, such as the UK, had similar requirements.
"We as South Africans respect the rules and regulations of other
countries. These are SA`s rules and they should be respected


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