South Africa’s traditional and largest source markets are likely to be the hardest hit by the new immigration regulations that require minors to carry an unabridged birth certificate for travel to SA.
While the Department of Home Affairs has announced 11th-hour changes lessening the requirement for travellers from markets that need a visa for South Africa, which includes emerging markets India, China, and Russia, the same does not apply to visa-exempt source markets, including the UK, US and Germany.
According to last week’s statement from the department, nationals who require a visa will not need to present an unabridged birth certificate when travelling to SA because these travellers would have presented this document when applying for the visa. However, no such privileges were granted to travellers from visa-exempt countries.
David Frost, SATSA CEO, told Tourism Update that Europe and the US accounted for 55% of arrivals to SA. He said it was exactly those markets that would be affected by the new regulations and added that South Africa was already facing challenges to its tourism sector, such as safety, security and xenophobia. Instead of making it more difficult for travellers to choose SA as a destination, the government should rather capitalise on the rate of exchange and facilitate travel to the country.
A popular UK news site, The Telegraph, ran an online poll asking readers whether the new regulations would put them off taking their child on a trip to South Africa. Out of 514 voters, 63% said the new regulations would be a deterrent.
Abigail Shaw, Director Bushbaby Travel in the UK, confirmed the poll results, saying clients found the measures “draconian”, as other nations were managing to tackle child trafficking without such sweeping requirements. “I believe it's quite damaging PR for South Africa.”
Shaw said divorced families in particular would see the new regulations as a deterrent, as relationships tended to be strained.
John Berry, MD of Zambezi Safari and Travel Company, added that SA authorities had been very clumsy in the way the topic had been handled. “I suspect that they either don't care or don't hold broad enough world views to have given this any consideration.”
He said SA, like every African country, was under serious competitive pressure for tourists. “I wouldn't be surprised if there’s a big swing away to more welcoming destinations.”
School group tours will also be affected. Adam Hickman, Operations Director Schools Worldwide Travel, says: “The new regulations are placing huge demands on schools planning to send student groups to South Africa. Many UK schools send groups of students to South Africa every year for sports tours, as well as to experience the incredible wildlife and culture the country has to offer.”
According to Hickman, the requirement is both time-consuming and potentially costly with the associated legal fees. “Unfortunately I think it is inevitable that these regulations will have an impact on this area of tourism. As a company we are doing everything we can to support the parents of students due to travel during the busy UK July holidays. However this has been made challenging by lack of clarity in advice being issued by the Department of Home Affairs.”
US tour operators are less worried about the impact the new regulations will have on their market. Yvette de Vries, President of Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa (APTA), said: “In the long run, I don’t foresee a drastic decline. Now that an official consent form has finally been issued, it will be possible for the majority of families to comply with the requirements.”
However, De Vries says she is concerned that there has been very little time to train the airport staff who will be responsible for implementing these procedures. “I believe that these teething problems will eventually be overcome if everyone works together calmly and with a more positive attitude than what seems to be prevailing in the media at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe, has announced that government is considering reviewing the controversial new visa regulations.
Frost has welcomed Radebe’s announcement, saying a review would be encouraging. He added, however: “We will continue to monitor this but we are also considering a legal remedy.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also issued a statement on Monday emphasising that crime statistics from the South African Police Services for the period March 2004 – March 2014 do not mention a single reported case of child trafficking.
