Johannesburg. South Africa on Monday announced the creation of a new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS). Its initial focus will be on the emerging tourism markets of India and China. The country’s Home Department said that the scheme, to be implemented from January 2025, will improve the visa system and is expected to boost employment in the tourism sector. South African Home Minister Leon Schreiber said, research shows that increasing tourism by just 10 percent per year can increase annual economic growth by 0.6 percent and create thousands of new jobs for South Africans. Traveling in large groups is the preferred option for many tourists from some countries and it is time that our visa system adapts to reflect and take advantage of this reality.
“This is just the beginning of the Home Ministry embracing our role as an economic enabler. The TTOS itself is an interim measure to promote tourism. We are moving rapidly to digitally transform the Home Ministry. Our goal is a fully automated process, providing tourists from around the world with secure tourist visa results digitally and within a few seconds,” the minister said. The TTOS will remove some of the major barriers standing in the way of South Africa becoming a preferred tourist destination for the world’s second and fifth largest economies. According to the country’s government, currently Indian tourists account for only 3.9 per cent of all international tourists visiting South Africa. “In collaboration with the Department of Tourism, as well as the Presidency and Operation Vulindlela, the Home Ministry has resolved to urgently remove barriers to tourism from these two key markets,” the Home Ministry said in a statement.
It said, Having observed the positive impact of the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES), which provides quick and simplified visa processing services to vetted and approved businesses to attract critical skills, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber directed that the same principle should be applied to reduce red tape and improve efficiency for tourists from non-visa exempt countries such as India and China.Through the TTOS, vetted and approved tour operators from both countries will be invited to register with the Department. In return for the Department undergoing thorough screening and assuming responsibility for travellers in their groups, the Department will process group applications from Indian and Chinese tourists travelling with approved operators for the first time.Tourist visa applications processed through the TTOS will be handled by a dedicated and skilled team of adjudicators to ensure quick and reliable processing, while also removing restrictive red tape that is currently stifling South Africa’s tourism potential.