Easy visas and direct flights: Those are the two biggest factors that can spur travel to a destination. And they’ve been a focus of the visit to India this week by South African Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille.
“We had a very fruitful meeting and it confirms what we already know; that there is a big untapped potential in this market,” said de Lille.
In 2019, South Africa received over 95,000 Indian visitors. Last year, there were just 79,000, 3.9% of all international arrivals. “We want to increase this to at least 10% in 2025,” de Lille said.
Step 1 is easing the visa process.
Beginning next January 20, certain tour operators will be part of a program that lets them arrange visas for travelers.
It’s called the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS): “The benefit of these trusted tour operators will be that Indian visitors and businesses will be able to go directly to one of these tour operators, who will in turn do the visa application on behalf of that individual or group.”
The aim is to provide Indian groups and individuals with credible points of contact who clearly understand the visa processes of South Africa. The country has now asked the Indian tourism ministry for their database of accredited tour operators to invite them to join the scheme in the second phase.
De Lille said that South Africa has established a dedicated portal where tour operators will be able to submit the visa applications. The country is working towards a turnaround of two to three days to let applicants know about the status of their visa application.
The minister also shared that India was qualified for an e-visa system, allowing Indians to apply for a visa online. “That system did not really deliver the results, so we are phasing it out.”
Instead, a new visa system called Electronic Travel Agreement has been introduced. Applicants would be able to apply online and the country is looking at a turnaround time of a couple of days to issue the visa.
Direct Flights
Another major hurdle that persists for South Africa is the lack of direct flights between the two nations. De Lille said that the delegation is set to meet IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet this week.
“We want to show them the potential and the value of a direct flight between India and South Africa. It is not only an increase in tourists, but also trade, businesses, and investments between the two countries that is also growing exponentially.”
