SA tourism sector still limping following new visa requirements‚ parliament told

Source: Tourism Update, 01/11/2016

While the SA tourism industry has managed to rebound following a slump
blamed on the country`s new visa regulation‚ thousands of visitors
have been stopped from entering SA‚ leaving the tourism sector
limping.


This is according to the Tourism Business Council of SA‚ which briefed
Parliament`s portfolio committee on tourism on Friday.


• 13‚246 tourists kept from visiting South Africa due to unabridged
birth certificates
When past data showed travels to SA from traditional tourist markets
had dropped in the 2014-2015‚ an inter-ministerial committee was
convened to look into the matter.


Adjustments that emerged from the committee included reneging on an
undertaking to replace the requirement make for an unabridged birth
certificate with and an ordinary birth certificate from 1
November.


It also allowed for the capture of travellers` biometrics at ports of
entry‚ rather than exclusively at SA missions in the traveller`s home
country. CEO of the TBCSA Mmatšatši Ramawela told the committee that
after the inter-ministerial committee`s recommendation including the
capturing of biometrics at international airports‚ tourist arrivals
grew 18.7% from 2015.


However‚ she said‚ even in the 2015-2016 period thousands of tourists
with pre-paid holidays were turned away from travelling to SA from
various embankments globally.


"SAA recorded that 3 974 passengers were denied boarding due to
unabridged birth certificates from June 2015 to the end of July 2016.
Extrapolating this to all airlines‚ this equates to 13 246 passengers
denied boarding‚" said Ramawela.


Ramawela said TBCSA`s study showed that 43% of its respondents‚ being
tourism businesses and bodies‚ were still affected by the regulations
and that 29% of respondents said clients cancelled their trips because
of the new regulations.


In a statement DA tourism committee member James Vos said the
Department of Home Affairs had not responded to the TBCSA`s offer to
fund the appointment of more immigration officers of assist with the
processing of visas.


"Given that the festive season is around the corner‚ which brings
thousands of tourists to our country‚ the DA will write to the
Minister of Tourism‚ Derek Hanekom‚ to ask what short term measures he
has in place to counter this problem‚" said Vos.


Speaking to reporters in Johannesburg on Friday‚ Home Affairs Director
General Mkuseli Apleni said immigration counters needed to be better
staffed and that this constraint made it difficult to process as many
travellers as possible into the country.


"The total number of immigration counters at OR Tambo International
Airport is 87 and even with a 100% staff attendance not all the
counters can be fully staffed. A 100% attendance is not attainable due
to normal human resource factors‚" said Apleni.


He said the biometric capturing system helped the department to
enhance the country`s capacity to identify and verify the individuals
"with the highest possible degree of certainty‚ security and efficiency".