• South Africa plans to introduce the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) in January 2025 to simplify visa processing for Chinese and Indian tourists.
• Home Affairs Minister emphasized that a ten percent annual increase in tourism could boost South Africa’s economic growth by 0.6 percent.
• South Africa aims to increase Indian tourist arrivals to 100,000 by the end of 2024.
Starting January 2025, South Africa will launch a new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to streamline the entry process for Chinese and Indian tourists.
According to South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, this initiative aims to facilitate travel to the country, which saw only 93,000 Chinese tourists out of over 100 million outbound trips in 2023, VisaGuide.World reports.
South Africa Aims to Boost Indian Tourist Numbers From 16,000 to 100,000 This Year
In the first three months of this year, South Africa welcomed 16,000 Indian visitors. Tourism South Africa aims to significantly boost this number, targeting 100,000 Indian tourists by this year. Indian tourists comprise just 3.9 percent of South Africa’s international visitors, and Chinese tourists account for only 1.8 percent.
After seeing the positive impact made by the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES), which provides swift and simplified visa processing services to vetted and approved businesses to attract critical skills, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber directed that the same principle be applied to cutting red tape and improving efficiency for tourists from non-visa exempt countries like China and India.
South Africa's Department of Home Affairs
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber highlighted that research shows a ten percent annual increase in tourism could enhance economic growth by 0.6 percent and generate tens of thousands of new jobs in South Africa.
Exciting as it is, TTOS is but an interim measure to boost tourism while we move quickly to digitally transform Home Affairs. Ultimately, our vision is for a fully automated process that delivers secure tourist visa outcomes digitally and within seconds to tourists from around the world.
South Africa Proposes 90-Day Visa Waiver for Indian & Chinese Tourists
As the Department of Home Affairs explains, under the TTOS, approved tour operators from these countries will be invited to register with the Department of Home Affairs. In return for a rigorous screening process and responsibility for their travel groups, these operators can submit group visa applications. This marks the first time that group visa applications from Chinese and Indian tourists will be processed in this way.
Applications through TTOS will be managed by a specialized team of adjudicators, ensuring faster and more efficient processing while eliminating the bureaucratic obstacles that have historically impacted South Africa’s tourism sector.
In May this year, the South African government unveiled a plan to improve the visa application process, focusing on Indian tourists. In this direction, the Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille announced introducing an E-Visa system. At the same time, the Ministry of Tourism also proposed a 90-day visa waiver for visitors from India and China.