Cabinet to vet new visa rules

29 July 2015 - 02:08 By Penwell Dlamini

Less than two months after their implementation, a high-level task team made up of cabinet ministers has been established to review the impact of the new visa regulations on the country's economy. Tourism Deputy Minister Tokozile Xasa told The Times yesterday that the impact of the regulations would receive attention."The cabinet has resolved to have a team of ministers whose sectors are affected to sit and look at the unintended consequences of the regulations," Xasa said."The cabinet has heard the outcry and that team of ministers is going to sit and advise further on what action needs to be taken."The deputy minister said there were indications that certain sectors of the market that normally visited South Africa were not doing so, but added that the government had to find a balance between growth in the tourism sector and ensuring the safety of those coming into the country.The new rules require parents and guardians travelling with children under 18 to provide unabridged birth certificates, and applications for visas must be made in person to missions abroad so that biometric information can be recorded.The stringent new visa regulations have struck a significant blow to the hospitality sector.This was shown in the latest tourism business index, which reflected a gloomy outlook for the remainder of the year.South Africa's tourism business index in the second quarter of this year dropped to its lowest level in nearly four years due to the new visa restrictions. The tourism sector posted an index score of 83.6 in the second quarter, compared with 99.9 in the first quarter.It is also the lowest score since the third quarter of 2011.An index score of 100 is regarded as normal levels of trade.The Tourism Business Council of SA, which launched the index in 2010, warned the government about the damaging effect that the visa regulations would have on the industry. But the council declined to comment yesterday, saying it would wait for an official announcement from the government...

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