South Africa’s Visa Policy Is Still Hurting Tourism
Photo Credit: A South African passport and birth certificate are shown. The country has amended some visa regulations, but problems remain. Skift / Richard Holmes
Skift Take
South Africa's onerous visa regime for minor travelers continues to hobble its all-important tourism industry. Amendments published last month may look like good news, but read them closely and – industry insiders say – not nearly enough has changed.
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has done the country’s tourism industry no favors since 2015, when it introduced a new visa regime requiring minor travelers entering or leaving the country to produce a so-called unabridged birth certificate (UBC) listing the personal details of both parents.
Thanks to poor communication and an abundance of caution by the airlines, on whose shoulders the burden of checking documents fell, the impact on arrivals was swift and devastating.
Industry sources estimate that upwards of 13,000 travelers were turned away at check-in desks for having incorrect paperwork.
“We’ve had a number of clients who – even though they had the correct information from us – still did not have their documents in order and were turned away at the airport,” said Sean Kritzinger, co-owner and executive chairman of luxury inbound tour operator Giltedge Africa. “Once they had received the correct docume
