South Africa plans to attract more clients from China and India through a new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) that will be launched in January 2025.
Tour operators approved through TTOS will be invited to register with the Department from these countries. In 2023 alone, South Africa welcomed 93,000.
“At the moment, we are really under-performing and from the research that we’ve conducted and that we know from the tourism side as well, a lot of the blockage has to do with the red tape that is actually put in place of Chinese tourists and visitors to South Africa,” minister Leon Schreiber said.
“In terms of the scheme itself, the goal here is basically to facilitate less red tape for Chinese tourists and specifically also to make it easier for large tour groups to come and visit South Africa.”
Visa applications from tourists handled by TTOS will be dealt with by a specialized group of evaluators to “guarantee quick and dependable processing”.
Currently, Indian visitors make up just 3.9% of all foreign tourists in South Africa – and China accounts for only 1.8%.
The program has been accepted by the South African hospitality sector.
“We (are) doing inbound tour which means we bring tourists from China to South Africa and our main market is the business delegations and exhibition groups. Also, we do customized leisure groups. If the visa application process can be efficient and simplified, then definitely it will attract much, much more clients from China,” said Angela Wu, director of the travel service department at upGrowth, a marketing company in South Africa.
South Africa stands as one of the top five most frequented countries in Africa. The Home Affairs Ministry reports that a 10% yearly rise in tourism has the potential to elevate the country’s economic growth by 0.6% and generate numerous jobs.
The (TTOS) also focuses on attracting visitors from non-visa-exempt nations, as declared by the Department of Home Affairs on September 2nd.