South Africa is hopeful about boosting tourist arrivals from China following the arrival of the first group of 15 tourists visiting the country under the recently implemented Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) just six months after announcing the rollout of the programme.

The TTOS initiative was launched by the Department of Home Affairs in response to the ongoing visa challenges that have historically deterred tourists from countries with significant travel potential, such as China and India.

The department said the first group of 65 successful tour operators from South Africa, China, and India, who were accepted in the first phase of the TTOS have been able to start making visa applications for individuals and groups.

In 2023, South Africa welcomed only a mere 37 000 tourists from China and 79 000 from India, a stark contrast to the 100 million people who travel from both nations annually.

The introduction of TTOS aims to streamline the visa application process for large tour groups from these crucial markets. Vetted tour operators can now submit group visa applications via a secure digital platform, eliminating the need for physical travel, long queues, or cumbersome paperwork.

This modernisation has resulted in the timely processing of visas, with the newly arrived group’s visas secured in just six hours—a substantial improvement compared to previous waiting times, which often caused prospective tourists to miss their flights.

Within the first week of TTOS’s operation, hundreds of additional visas have been issued to tour groups that would not have considered South Africa as a destination otherwise, with all outcomes being delivered digitally rapidly.

Home Affairs Minister Schreiber on Sunday described this achievement as a “seminal moment” for the department, emphasising the commitment to becoming a catalyst for economic growth and job creation through innovative solutions.

“This is a seminal moment for Home Affairs as we turn into reality our commitment to become an enabler of economic growth to create jobs. Within a few short months, we have delivered on our pledge to use digital transformation to enable large tour groups from China and India who otherwise would not have come to our country due to visa struggles, to travel to South Africa,” Schreiber said.

“Research has shown that for every 12 tourists who visit South Africa, one new job is created. Therefore, our welcoming of the first tour group of 15 Chinese visitors last night is also a celebration of the fact that we have created the very first new job through TTOS. This is the real-world, tangible impact that our work has in improving the lives of South Africans. I look forward to these numbers growing substantially over the coming year, as we accelerate our work to use digital transformation to enable the tourism sector to create new jobs for the people of South Africa.”

As South Africa looks to enhance its appeal as a premier travel destination, the government aims to leverage digital transformation to foster growth within the tourism sector.

Last month, the Department of Tourism said the latest international arrivals data from Statistics South Africa confirmed that the African continent remains South Africa’s largest source of tourists, with 6.8 million tourist arrivals in 2024, making up 76% of total arrivals.

Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, said the TTOS was a massive win for the tourism and business events sector and the department will use the new visa initiatives as enablers to grow tourism arrivals to South Africa which will in turn drive inclusive economic growth and job creation.

“This was an exciting moment in this ground-breaking initiative where the TTOS is providing a faster and more seamless process for visas for travellers from India and China. Together with the Department of Home Affairs we have worked tirelessly to make this happen and I commend Minister Schreiber and the team in the Department of Home Affairs for the swift implementation of this new and improved visa initiative,” De Lille said.

“Through targeted outreach engagements in India and China, we have also been sharing the developments of the TTOS, the Electronic Travel Authorisation and Digital Nomad Visas with these two key source markets to ensure that more tour operators register and use these new and enhanced visa processes.

“We are extremely excited about these visa developments and what it means for the growth of the tourism sector. We have no doubt that the TTOS will exponentially increase arrivals from India and China which will stimulate demand across the tourism and services sector.”

BUSINESS REPORT