South Africa Plans Visa Free Regime For Indian Tourists

SamMay 20, 20241 Mins read669

In a bid to promote tourism from India, the South African government is working out modalities to simplify the visa application process for Indian tourists. The South African minister of tourism, Patricia de Lille has said that the government is planning a methodology to expedite visa clearances and introduce an E-Visa system specifically for travellers from India.

South Africa hosted 16,000 Indian tourists between January and March this year, showing a growing interest in the country as a destination for travel. This information was shared by Ms de Lille during a media interaction at the Africa Indaba, the recently concluded South African tourism fair.

Visa Waiver Soon

The South African tourism ministry is also working on a recommendation to grant a visa waiver for up to 90 days for visitors from India and China. This proposal is currently under consideration by the President. Once approved, Indian tourists could enjoy the same benefits as their counterparts from Russia and Brazil, who already receive a 90-day visa waiver each calendar year. Additionally, Indian tourists may soon have the option to extend their visas while in South Africa.

Betting on India

Tourism South Africa has set an ambitious goal of attracting 100,000 Indian tourists in 2024. The focus will be on promoting travel from tier II cities in India. South Africa gets the maximum tourists from the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany. However, in the last few years, there has been a sizeable increase in arrivals from India and China. Easing visa regulations and visa free travel is expected to further boost these numbers.

However, the implementation of the visa free scheme might take time. Minister de Lillesaid that while progress is being made, the visa issue involves multiple government departments and ministries, which means changes might take some time.