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Visa rules hurt SA during peak season

Source: Business Day, 05/01/2016


Picture:HIGH SEASON: Tourists buying curios at the St Lucia
iSimangaliso Wetland Park. A tourism association is claiming the
delayed implementation of the changes to SA`s visa regulations hurt
tourism last month.
INITIAL indications are that the tourism industry failed to take full
advantage of the traditionally busy December period because of the
"absurd" visa regulations, the Southern African Tourism Services
Association claims.


The association, which represents inbound tourism services companies,
said it had received information from the UK press and some travellers
who were turned away at various airports because they did not meet the
visa requirements, particularly the birth certificate
requirement.


In October the government announced the easing of some of the more
onerous visa rules. Inbound travellers accompanied by minor children
were no longer required to produce an unabridged birth certificate,
and prospective visitors did not have to apply for visas in person.
But the revised rules are yet to come into effect. The Department of
Home Affairs has said it will take at least three months to effect the
changes.


Southern African Tourism Services Association CE David Frost said on
Monday it was "absurd" that the revisions had not yet come into
force.


"Why did home affairs choose to wait three months? These regulations
have caused irreparable damage ... we should have taken advantage of
the weak rand to grow the sector, but the birth certificate
requirement still stands," he said.


Reports last month were that between 10 and 20 families were daily
denied travel to South Africa from London`s Heathrow Airport, on the
basis that they did not meet the visa requirements.


Mr Frost said due to the weak rand, visitor numbers should have been
up 30% over December. Official visitor numbers are expected to be
released by Statistics SA within the next three months.


Democratic Alliance tourism spokesman James Vos said last week the
government`s tardiness was costing the economy billions of rand, as
tourists did not want to travel to SA because of the "difficult and
cumbersome" requirements.


"With the rand being at its lowest point in 14 years, SA`s tourism
industry should be thriving, but it is not because onerous visa
regulations are repelling tourists` interest in our country. If the
(African National Congress) government acted to relax the visa
regulations, as it promised to do in October, festive season in-bound
travel could have been seamless and booming," Mr Vos said.


But home affairs said last week reports of UK-based travellers
experiencing problems when entering SA because of immigration
regulations were "baseless and inaccurate". It said negative reports
had emerged due to the misrepresentation of facts.


Meanwhile, Cape Town Tourism said on Monday major attractions in the
city had noted "favourable attention" during the season so far. Cape
Town International Airport reported a 13% increase in visitor arrivals
at the airport in November, with close to 430,000 passengers
arriving.


"The exchange rate is extremely favourable for international visitors,
and it`s also making more locals have `staycations`, travelling as
tourists in their own city rather than splashing out on overseas trips
… so a positive impact on the statistics is cautiously anticipated
once the figures are released at the end of January," said Cape Town
Tourism spokeswoman Nicole Biondi.


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