South Africa's new visa scheme welcomed

South Africa aims to attract more clients from China and India.

A new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) will be launched in January 2025.

Through TTOS, vetted and approved tour operators from these countries will be invited to register with the Department.

93,000 Chinese nationals visited South Africa in 2023.

"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."

Tourist visa applications processed through TTOS will be handled by a dedicated team of adjudicators to "ensure swift and reliable processing".

At the moment, Indian tourists account for only 3.9% of all international visitors to South Africa – and China for only 1.8%.

The scheme has been warmly embraced by the hospitality industry in South Africa.

"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 is among the 5 most visited countries on the continent.

According to the Home affairs ministry, a 10% annual increase in tourism could drive up the nation's economic growth by 0.6% and create thousands of jobs

The (TTOS) also targets tourists from the non-visa exempt countries, the Department of Home Affairs announced on Sept. 2.