Visa requirements decimating BRICS tourism
03 November 2014
The new visa regulations implemented on 1 October are already having devastating implications for tourist arrivals in South Africa. Tourist arrivals from fellow BRICS countries in particular have been hit extremely hard. Reports suggest that new tourist arrivals from China and India are down by 80 - 90% since 1 October (see Tourism Update report here).
A number of South African tour operators have indicated, on the record, that they have experienced significant reductions in tourist arrivals:
Private Safaris and SA Magic Tours - both indicating that agents in China had stopped promoting travel to South Africa from 1 October onwards.
Africa Star Travel - stated that last year during this time they were working on many bookings for November, December, January and up until August for the year ahead. This year they have literally nothing for the New Year.