South Africa is planning to launch a global campaign to promote its tourism industry and its visa regimen in order to attract more inteernational tourists especially from China and India as reported by China Daily, a Chinese daily newspaper headquartered in the capital of the country Beijing.
During the G20 summit held in Johannesburg in November last year, South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille reported that the country successfully tested the digital visa system with citizens of China, India, Indonesia and Mexico.
South Africa’s tourism head has directed South African tourism offices in Beijing and Shanghai to conduct local marketing campaigns to position South Africa as a preferred tourist destination for China and India, and to report on current programs.
The Minister said that the country should not assume that people are aware of the digital visa system, especially in key markets like China and China, adding that South Africa will start a campaign to promote this system.
The Minister stressed that every thirteen international tourists create one permanent job and three indirect jobs in South Africa.
South African Tourism Council Chief Executive Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa stated that China and India will play a key role in reaching the country’s goal of attracting 15.6 million international tourists annually by 2030, and stressed that South African tourism sector aims to attract 500.000 annually visitors from each of these Asian countries.
South Africa is accurately developing a comprehensive strategy to prepare for Chinese tourists. This strategic plan includes adapting to Chinese digital platforms, integrating payment systems, and taking into account cultural prefeerences.
Work is also underway to overcome the language barrier, including through Mandarin training programs, as well as culinary training for chefs, with the aim of better meeting the demands of Chinese tourists.
In addition, South Africa is in talks with China and India to increase the number of direct flights and opportunities are being explored with Chinese airlines to increase the frequency of their flights.
Since the beginning of 2025, South Africa has been implementing the Trusted Tour Operators Scheme. Through this program, accredited tour operators can apply for online visas on behalf of their clients for tour groups coming from China and India.The processing time is usually three to five business days.
The country also has the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for short - term trips. Unlike a visa, which may require a visit to the embassy to obtain, the ETA is processed online and functions as a fast electronic pass.
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