Efforts to fix visa regime still to filter down — Hanekom
Official efforts to fix SA’s visa regime have yet to filter down to international airlines and embassies, newly appointed investment ambassador Derek Hanekom told Business Day.
Visa regulations, put in place under former president Jacob Zuma, are widely seen as an obstacle to tourism growth. President Cyril Ramaphosa made fixing them one of his priorities on taking office in 2018.
Hanekom was speaking on the sidelines of the SA Investment Conference, where Ramaphosa said the requirement of birth certificates for foreign minors coming to SA has been abolished.
The announcement has yet to be gazetted. Ramaphosa said: “All we are doing is finalising the regulatory aspect.”
Ramaphosa appointed Hanekom and former minister Jeff Radebe recently to the team of ambassadors to boost investment. Hanekom, tourism minister until May 2019, will focus on the tourism sector, which has battled to attract visitors with onerous visa and travel requirements and perceptions of crime.
Recent tourism figures from Stats SA showed that in the year to end-September overseas tourist numbers — in other words, any tourists coming from outside Africa — dropped 2%, with European tourist numbers down 3.4%. Tourist numbers from the rest of Africa fell 1.4% in the period.
The sector is seen as a means to unlock jobs and economic growth in SA.
Tourism accounts for 9.2% of total employment and 8.6% of all economic activity in SA, according to figures from the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Under Ramaphosa’s administration, the government has announced efforts to overhaul the visa regime, including improved turnaround times for processing work permits for skilled foreigners. The government has also added visa-free entry for visitors from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand.
Hanekom said more countries should be considered for visa exemptions, and the introduction of e-visas “could be a game changer.”
In his new role, Hanekom will work on attracting local and government investment to the sector. Another focus will be to drive more infrastructure investment into areas with tourism potential, said Hanekom.