Stats show tourism drop after visa change

NEW visa regulations for children from neighbouring countries, and not from traditional tourist markets, have had the biggest impact on travel into South Africa, the Department of Home Affairs said yesterday.

It held a briefing to release statistics after a study by the Tourism Business Council of SA estimated the new regulations would cost South Africa R1.4-billion and cut tourist numbers by 100 000 this year.

The study cites two specific regulations for the drop – that anyone travelling with a minor have an unabridged birth certificate and the consent of both parents, and that those applying for a visa must do so in person to have biometric data captured.

Home Affairs director-general Mkhuseli Apleni said yesterday that there had been a drop of about 20 000 people travelling to South Africa between June 1 and 22 this year, compared with the same period last year.

He said it was too early to tell what the major cause of this was, but pointed to economic changes and perceptions around ebola as possible contributing factors.

He was at pains to point out that arrivals from the UK and the US – the fourth and fifth most popular arrivals in South Africa – had remained stable.

But the number of children arriving and leaving dropped from 80 103 last year to 56 295 this year. The number of children refused entry rose from 61 in 2013 and 107 last year to 806 this year.

Department spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete said that “where children come in undocumented, we have to refuse them”.

But he said the figures released in the media were an exaggeration of the numbers and claims that the drop in tourism numbers could all be attributed to the new regulations were unfair.