South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs recently unveiled an initiative – set to this month – aimed to boost tourism, stimulate economic growth, and create employment opportunities by attract more tourists from China and India, two of the world’s largest outbound travel markets.
The new programme envisages simplified visa services and facilitated streamlined visa applications for tourists from these two countries under the Trusted Travel Agency Programme that includes, for a start, 65 accredited companies with proven expertise, legal compliance, and strong records of international cooperation, chosen through the rigorous evaluation process of the the Department of Tourism, the Department of Home Affairs.
The first wave of tourists India and China who applied through the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to fast-track visa applications is expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
While Indian tourists made up 3.9 per cent of all international visitors to South Africa, ccording to the Department of Home Affairs, Chinese tourists accounted for just 1.8 per cent and South Africa hopes to attract more than 93,000 of the recorded nearly 100 million outbound trips in China, as were the case in 2023.
