SA visa rules: Alarming data shows serious pattern of tourism decline for SA

Source: Selene Brophy – Traveller 24, 01/10/2015

Cape Town - South Africa's tourism industry has said, "enough is
enough", stating new data which shows a steady decline in overseas
visitor by as much as 14% according to the latest figures means it is
time for the department of home affairs to rescind SA's onerous new
visa rules.


CEO of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA), David
Frost, speaking at an urgent media briefing held on Thursday 1 October
in Johannesburg said SA's tourism industry had no choice but to
responded to what it considers unfair criticism from the department of
home affairs and its inability to implement its own regulation.


"Our message is unequivocal – Mr Deputy President, rescind these
regulations immediately," said Frost.


Frost was referring to comments made by Minister Malusi Gigaba who
said opposition to the new visa regulations had been based on "lies
and cooked-up figures and surveys that have no credibility
whatsoever", calling into question the industry's ability to market SA
as a destination.


SATSA is calling for inclusive structures to look at workable
alternative solutions that balance security with tourism
growth.


"This will liberate the tourism sector to do what it does best – bring
incremental tourists, increased foreign exchange inflows and increased
jobs." said Frost.


In a host alarming data analysis sourced by the tourism bodies and
revealed at the briefing, the picture of decline is highlighted.



While the first two quarters of 2014 saw growth (5,6%) this changed
abruptly in the third quarter of 2014, said Satsa highlighting that
SA's in-person visa application requirement came into effect then.
"Since then, there has been a systematic decline in tourist arrivals,
particularly out of the BRIC source markets. From Sep – Dec 2014 China
- 46.9%, Brazil was down-37% and India -14.4% continuing into
2015.


'44% Decline in Children travelling to SA'
Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) data for June, July and
August 2015 showed a 44% decline in the number of children under the
age of 18 travelling in and out of South Africa across all source
markets when compared to the same period in 2014.


Based on Stats SA data for Jan – April 2015, SA will lose 138 000
foreign air passengers per annum due to the regulations. However, as
only 24% of foreign travellers enter/exit SA by air, when one includes
all ports of entry (air, land and sea), South Africa is likely to lose
578 000 foreign tourists per annum due to the regulations.


'R7.51bn revenue lost to the country'
According to SA Tourism, the average spend per passenger is R13 000,
which amounts to R7.51bn revenue lost to the country.


The Reserve Bank has also confirmed preliminary estimations have
suggested that the level of gross travel receipts declined by 9% in
the second quarter of 2015.


'Complicated process applying for a visa'
Satsa said tour operating companies from China have advised that the
reason for the drop in tourists is due to the complicated process
applying for a VISA and the inefficiency of the SA VFS offices in
Beijing and Shanghai.


Most tour operators have removed South Africa as a vacation
destination, rerouting customers to Botswana and Namibia. The time and
resources it takes to apply for a South African visiting tourist VISA
are far too complicated.


The member associations of the TBCSA said Deputy President Cyril
Ramaphosa who is heading up the inter-ministerial assessment committee
to consider the benefits in a comprehensive economic impact assessment
to fix the issues concerning the priority sector of Tourism.


'Necessary biometric equipment still needed in China'
The SA tourism associations also said the Department of Home Affairs
needs to consistently implement its own regulations, with the
necessary biometric equipment still needed in China a year after the
requirements came into force.



"Overwhelming evidence from multiple reliable sources points to the
disastrous impact these ill thought-out and draconian requirements are
having on the tourism industry. We cannot afford to waste another
moment," said Frost.


Calling into question the effects on the economy and a need to look at
workable alternatives that balance security with economic growth
Mavuso Msimang, Chairperson of the TBCSA, said "We would also
respectively request that the IMC be allowed the space for their
deliberations without inflammatory statements being made that only
heighten tensions between the various stakeholders and frustrate
efforts for an appropriate outcome."
- Traveller24