JOHANNESBURG – South Africa will begin receiving group visa applications from selected tour operators on behalf of Chinese and Indian tourists in mid-February, an Interior Ministry official said on Tuesday.
Yusuf Simons, manager of the Western Cape Province of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said in an interview with Xinhuakai that South Africa selected 65 tour operators from South Africa, India and China to select a reliable tour operator scheme (TTO) and the group He said he chose to submit a visa application. Chinese and Indian tourists visit the country.
The TTO was announced last year to increase tourism arrivals from China and India. Only 1.8% of Chinese tourists and 3.9% of Indian tourists make up national visitors to South Africa.
“The TTO was created to attract tourists from China and India. The population of India and China is one third of the world's population, so many tourists from both these countries have been diverted as priority destinations. We are about to do so. Selected 65 Tour operators will begin submitting applications from mid-February,” Simons said.
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He explained that tourists from China and India prefer to travel in groups, and that they want their applications to be seamless. “The TTO is expected to increase tourist arrivals from both countries, expand South Africa's economy and create jobs.”
“Surveys show that jobs are created for two tourists who visit South Africa. If we increase the number of tourists from these countries, the work created will be extensive,” Simons said. .
“The turnaround period for completing the application is reduced to 2-3 days instead of waiting three weeks. The online process requirements have been reduced,” he added.
Officials say the TTO is in the pilot phase, and his department hopes to add more tour operators to attract more tourists from the two largely populated countries.
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Simons noted that many tourists from China and India have shown great interest in visiting South Africa. Some tourists in both countries have encountered challenges when applying for visas due to language barriers.
According to the South African Tourism Bureau, a total of 41,651 tourists from China visited South Africa in 2024, an increase of 11.4% from 2023. Meanwhile, South Africa recorded 75,541 tourists from India in 2024, a 5.3% decline from the previous year.
