Expressing disappointment and concern that 58% of e-visa applications have been rejected as a result of a delay, tourism industry have called for decisive action from government to address this.

At a National Council of Provinces meeting yesterday (May 3), the Department of Home Affairs revealed that of the 6 329 e-visas it rejected, 3 687 (58%) were rejected as a result of the date of travel already having passed.

To put it simply, the applications simply weren’t got to in time.

This follows an earlier revelation by the same Department that, at that time, only 48.7% of all e-visa applications received had been processed. It was further revealed that of those that had been processed, only 3.2% of the total received had been granted.

“E-visas are intended to provide a convenient option for visitors to make their visa applications online instead of having to visit a South African mission. Fourteen countries are eligible for e-visa applications: Cameroon, China, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Uganda,” highlighted Mireille Wenger, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities.

“It is deeply concerning that inefficiencies in our e-visa regime continue to add a barrier to our tourism recovery and our drive to increase connectivity within the African continent and attract more African tourists to our destination.”

CEO of SATSA, David Frost, agreed that the visa delays continue to be a “significant barrier” to the recovery of the tourism sector. “We urgently need decisive action, along with timelines, to address these challenges.

“It is clear that if the government truly believes tourism can drive economic growth and job creation, they must take steps to improve the visa challenges. Simplifying the visa process from important and emerging source markets like China and India is instrumental to increase South Africa’s tourism growth potential,” said Frost.

Rosemary Anderson, FEDHASA National Chair, told Tourism Update that, to ensure recovery, South Africa had to leverage every single opportunity to attract visitors to South Africa with quick and easy solutions that would have a considerable impact in the short term.

“Ensuring that we have a fully optimised e-visa system in place, with more eligible countries able to apply for this visa type, is a quick win. We urge our Minister of Home Affairs to give this matter urgent attention, as South Africa is falling behind many countries that are seeing positive tourism recovery rates as a result of smart initiatives to entice visitors.”

According to her, streamlined visa application processes and digital nomad visas are just a few examples of how countries are making accessibility easier for visitors. 

“We remain hopeful that an improved visa regime that serves as an enabler for tourism will be a key priority for government and not the barrier that it currently is. Inbound tourism results in job creation and foreign spend, which not only benefits our economy but will also tackle our dire unemployment rate – the highest in the world,” commented Anderson.

“We need collaboration across all sectors to create jobs, however this is not possible with obstacles such as e-visa applications not being processed timeously.”