While the immigration regulations put an undoubted strain on South Africa’s tourism industry, it can recover more quickly than most may expect. This is the belief of Tourism Minister, Derek Hanekom, who spoke to Tourism Update on the sidelines of Air China’s inaugural flight to Johannesburg on Friday, October 30.

“While the regulations did have an effect on South Africa’s tourism numbers, we cannot underestimate the work of the Department of Home Affairs,” Hanekom said. “If Home Affairs and the Department of Tourism can work together, South Africa can soar as a tourist destination, and I believe the compromise we reached in terms of the regulations showed us that.”

The recovery of the tourism sector will, however, depend on how quickly the changes to the regulations are implemented, Hanekom said. “The sooner the changes are put in place, the sooner we can start working to restore our image,” he said. “For instance, we had fewer Chinese travellers visiting South Africa this year compared with recent years but now that they can go back to applying for visas via an accredited travel agent, it makes it easier for them to visit us,” he said.

The Minister also revealed that, from next year, South Africa would embark on roadshows in China to promote the destination and make the Chinese know that they are welcome. “We should not expect the Chinese to learn English in order to visit our country.” Making tourists feel welcome goes a long way, said Hanekom. “We can learn Mandarin and greet them at the airport in their own language and let them know how welcome they are. Imagine how much of a difference that would make to their experience and the joyful stories they will pass on to their peers,” he said.

He called on OR Tambo International Airport GM, Bongiwe Pityi, to aid him in this venture. “Let’s work together to market South Africa to the 100 million Chinese people who travel abroad. If we can get just 1% of the market coming to South Africa, that is 500 000 Chinese tourists a year – which is incredible for us.”

Hanekom added that Air China’s non-stop direct flight to Johannesburg would be the first step to continued collaboration between the two countries in terms of tourism. “China is one of South Africa’s most important source markets, so we greatly welcome this flight as it will lead to improved connectivity between the two regions,” he said. “We want to use this flight as a way to not only recover some of the tourism lost between our two countries but to take it to new heights.”