Democratic Alliance press statement by James Vos MP DA Shadow Minister of Tourism New immigration regulations will kill jobs in Tourism Sector The DA calls on the Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, to urgently brief the Portfolio Committee on Tourism on what steps his Department will take to overcome the potentially devastating impact of the new visa regulations on South Africa’s tourism sector. Indeed, the Department of Home Affairs’ new immigration regulations are tying up our tourism industry in unnecessary red tape and placing an unnecessary burden on the growth of this job-creating sector. The implementation of the new biometric visa requirement for foreign nationals is already proving to be a serious obstacle for people trying to visit our shores. Visitors are now required to apply for their visas in person which is an additional and unnecessary travel expense for those who do not live near South African embassies, consulates and visa centres - or worse, live in countries without these facilities. When this matter was raised in a recent media interview, the Department callously stated “We cannot have a consulate in every part of every country.” The Department of Home Affairs is clearly aware of the inconsiderate side effects of its new regulations, however seems unapologetic about the thousands of visitors they will inconvenience and the millions of rands they will cost our economy. The Minister of Tourism cannot let this go unanswered. He must now step in, and protect the jobs that the tourism creates in South Africa. The National Development Plan cites tourism as one of the growth pillars of our economy. According to Statistics South Africa, tourism employs almost 600 000 South Africans and contributes almost R90 billion to our GDP. That is why most countries are trying to relax requirements for tourist visas. It seems the ANC have missed this trend completely. The DA will not stand by and do nothing while yet another poorly thought through ANC policy undermines the growth of a booming industry. We trust that Minister Hanekom will do the same.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 11:35:48 +0000
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