Shoddy tourism numbers won’t legitimise your Visa Regs, Minister Gigaba
15 January 2015
It is most concerning that the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, released ostensible tourism figures earlier this week which indicate increases in arrival numbers. However, these figures have not been comprehensively analysed to determine actual tourists visiting the country compared to people simply crossing land borders.
I will therefore write to the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, requesting that an economic impact assessment be conducted for each province to reveal the full economic impact of these regulations on the tourism industry, which employs 1.5 million South Africans. This assessment should've been done months before these regulation were even promulgated.
In Committee, I have repeatedly highlighted the need for a clear distinction between actual tourists, who spend several nights, and day visitors, who come into the country for business and other commitments. This distinction is necessary for the determination of tourism’s revenue value and overall impact on the economy, as well as for guiding policy approaches.
Minister Malusi Gigaba’s supposition that the rise in arrivals is a consequence of well-functioning Visa Regulations is nothing short of ludicrous; it is clear the Minister is clutching at straws.