South Africa has introduced a new scheme called the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to boost tourism from India and China. Announced by the Department of Home Affairs, this initiative aims to increase job creation through higher tourist numbers.
The TTOS concept, developed by Minister of Home Affairs Dr. Leon Schreiber, addresses issues like visa inefficiency and red tape, which have hindered South Africa's ability to attract tourists from these countries. The department highlighted that Chinese tourists made over 100 million outbound trips in 2023, but only 93,000 visited South Africa. In contrast, Australia received over 1.4 million Chinese visitors.
“Indian tourists account for only 3.9 per cent of all international visitors to South Africa – and China for only 1.8 per cent. Research indicates that boosting tourism by only 10 per cent per year can increase annual economic growth by 0.6 per cent and create thousands of new jobs for South Africans,” the department stated.
The TTOS aims to address challenges with processing group visa applications, capacity issues at foreign missions, and language barriers. Approved tour operators will experience reduced red tape and faster visa application processing for large tour groups.
Indian operators have faced long visa delays for their clients, which TTOS plans to address. Applications will be managed by a dedicated team for swift processing, and operators will be responsible for any legal issues caused by tourists under their banner.
Application criteria were developed through public consultation, requiring a minimum of 12 months' operational experience. Applications are open for 30 days, after which the Home Affairs will vet and enroll the first group of tour operators. The goal is to bring the first TTOS tourists to South Africa by January 2025.
Interested Indian companies can express their interest by visiting touroperator.dha.gov.za:8443 or the TTOS banner at www.dha.gov.za.
The TTOS concept, developed by Minister of Home Affairs Dr. Leon Schreiber, addresses issues like visa inefficiency and red tape, which have hindered South Africa's ability to attract tourists from these countries. The department highlighted that Chinese tourists made over 100 million outbound trips in 2023, but only 93,000 visited South Africa. In contrast, Australia received over 1.4 million Chinese visitors.
“Indian tourists account for only 3.9 per cent of all international visitors to South Africa – and China for only 1.8 per cent. Research indicates that boosting tourism by only 10 per cent per year can increase annual economic growth by 0.6 per cent and create thousands of new jobs for South Africans,” the department stated.
The TTOS aims to address challenges with processing group visa applications, capacity issues at foreign missions, and language barriers. Approved tour operators will experience reduced red tape and faster visa application processing for large tour groups.
Indian operators have faced long visa delays for their clients, which TTOS plans to address. Applications will be managed by a dedicated team for swift processing, and operators will be responsible for any legal issues caused by tourists under their banner.
Application criteria were developed through public consultation, requiring a minimum of 12 months' operational experience. Applications are open for 30 days, after which the Home Affairs will vet and enroll the first group of tour operators. The goal is to bring the first TTOS tourists to South Africa by January 2025.
Interested Indian companies can express their interest by visiting touroperator.dha.gov.za:8443 or the TTOS banner at www.dha.gov.za.
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