With the recommencement of a Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines) direct flight between Jeddah and Johannesburg on December 1 and Saudi Arabia opening e-Visas to South Africa – the first African country to qualify – tourism between the two countries is expected to boom.
The announcement was made following a recent official visit to Saudi Arabia by Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, to strengthen tourism relations with the Kingdom.
De Lille said: “I am extremely pleased with this development as South Africa also became the first African country to be added to the list. This will certainly bring immense benefits for leisure and Umrah travellers and for our efforts to grow tourism between South Africa and Saudi Arabia.”
The multi-entry e-Visa is valid for one year and allows travellers to visit the kingdom for up to 90 days at a time. It costs 535 Saudi riyals (€136) which also includes medical insurance.
In terms of the South African visa system, travellers from Saudi Arabia are part of the visa-exempt countries and do not require a visa to travel to South Africa for a period of up to 90 days.
De Lille met with a range of Saudi Arabian stakeholders, including the Air Connectivity Programme team within the Ministry of Tourism as well as the Saudi Tourism Authority.
Discussions covered actions needed to improve air connectivity between Saudi Arabia and South Africa and a joint marketing strategy to promote both destinations to travellers in both countries.
“During our engagements, we shared research with the Saudi Air Connectivity Team to motivate for a direct flight between Jeddah and Cape Town,” said De Lille.
‘Significant for SA’
The Minister pointed out that e-Visa development was significant for South Africa as many Muslim citizens travelled for religious purposes. “Along with the direct flights, this will ease travel for many tourists but especially for religious tourism and pilgrimages,” she said.
The e-Visa will be a one-year, multiple-entry visa, allowing tourists to spend up to 90 days in the country. The tourist visa allows SA travellers to participate in tourism-related activities such as events, family and relatives visits, leisure, and Umrah (excluding Hajj) and excludes other activities such as studying.
“We will continue working with our counterparts in Saudi Arabia, through the Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb, to look at new and innovative ways to grow tourism between our countries as this key sector is an important part of our countries’ economies and a key job creator,” said De Lille.
The Department of Tourism also has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Department that outlines joint objectives to grow tourism between the countries.
South African Tourism’s Marketing and Promotions Manager for the Middle East, Sadiq Dindar, said tour operators were reporting anecdotally that there had been an influx of visitors from the Middle East recently.
First-quarter data for 2023 showed that arrivals from the Middle East had reached 90% of pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, aviation has also shown strong recovery, and seat numbers are currently sitting at 91% of 2019 levels.
