The unintended consequences of the new visa regulations has now got the ear of a wider audience in government.

Thulani Nzimi, CEO of SA Tourism, told delegates of the SATSA annual conference that opened on Thursday at Fancourt that the new inter-ministerial committee looking at the regulations had the attention of government heavyweights such as the Minister of Finance and the Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC).

Nzimi pointed out that the government’s hot button was the impact on jobs rather than company profits.

He said the tourism industry should make sure that the impact of the regulations on job creation and job losses is credibly collected and presented to government as this is an important priority for them. Loss of company profit is seen as less of a problem.