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South Africa last year relaxed some of the visa rules it introduced in October 2014, dropping a requirement for visitors to apply for visas in person at South African embassies, following a backlash from tour operators and tourists.
“In January, over one million tourists arrived in South Africa, 15% more than in January last year. February brought an incredible 18% increase,” said Hanekom, adding that while the Chinese market was showing signs of recovery, obtaining visas in India still took too long.
South Africa’s tourism sector is considered as one of the main drivers of employment and economic growth in Africa’s most industrialised economy. According to the National Treasury, tourism’s direct contribution to GDP was 103.6 billion rand ($7.15 billion) in 2013, about 2.9% of GDP, while directly employing 655,609 people or 4.4% of total employment.
“Tourism is recovering rapidly from last year’s decline. 2016 promises to be a year of strong growth for tourism in South Africa,” Hanekom said.
Source: travelnewsdigest.in