Tourism stakeholders have raised an alarm about long-standing and unresolved challenges in visa processing for travellers applying to visit South Africa from Mexico via the country’s consulate in Mexico City.
The issues, which industry players say have persisted for at least three years, are said to be affecting South Africa’s appeal in the Central American market.
The most recent complaints centre on systemic inefficiencies, poor communication and unprofessional behaviour at the consulate.
Andy Brosou, CEO of Triumph Travel, and Robert More, MORE Family Collection CEO, told Tourism Update, although they do not interact directly with the consulate, their inbound tourism businesses are being harmed by the breakdown in visa facilitation for clients and agents in Mexico.
“These agents in Mexico, those dealing with the consulate, are not being heard and this is directly impacting all our businesses,” said Brosou. “We are handling this complaint because they cannot.”
‘Hostile’ conduct and lost passports
Brosou and More referenced multiple travel agents’ testimonies outlining cases of unprofessional and, at times, hostile conduct. These include raised voices, refusals to explain decisions and at least one case when an agent was threatened with visa revocation after attempting to advocate for clients.
Industry professionals also cite inconsistent document requirements, lost passports and rejected applications with no reason given. Communication via phone and email is described as “near impossible” with “lack of transparency or recourse when errors occur”.
More said: “The consulate in Mexico City is doing exactly what they want to do because they couldn’t be bothered. There is no effort to apologise or acknowledge the issues. They’re behaving as if people are lucky to be visiting South Africa.”
Agents also raised cultural concerns. For example, unmarried couples are often not permitted to sponsor each other’s expenses despite this being a common and legitimate practice among Latin American travellers. Others reported that clients with US visas, full itineraries and luxury lodge bookings are still being treated as migration risks.
“Clients are often spending over US$20 000 per person on these trips,” said Brosou.
Formal complaints meet silence
Despite attempts to address the matter diplomatically, the tourism players claim their complaints have been ignored. A letter co-signed by over 60 tourism stakeholders, including top lodge groups and hotels, was accepted by the consulate but staff reportedly refused to stamp it or formally acknowledge receipt.
More, who escalated the matter to senior officials at South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, said the department acknowledged the behaviour is unacceptable but no action has followed in over six months.
“They’re putting the tourism industry at risk,” said More. “There is one human being sitting in Mexico City who is blocking millions of dollars in revenue from entering this country.”
Impact on market potential
As a result of the visa difficulties, multiple agents have stopped promoting South Africa altogether. One agent said: “We reached the point where we said we can’t sell South Africa any more unless the client doesn’t need a visa or we don’t have to get involved.”
Brosou said itineraries now increasingly route clients to destinations such as Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana and Rwanda, which all offer more accessible or visa-free travel for Mexican passport holders.
“They don’t even want to fly via Johannesburg any more. They’re choosing Windhoek or Victoria Falls just to avoid transit visas,” said Brosou.
Among the solutions proposed by the industry are digitised applications, priority visa processing for vetted travellers and standardised documentation checklists. However, until there is an operational change at the consulate, stakeholders believe South Africa will continue to lose market share.
“The message this sends is that we’re arrogant and don’t want their business. We’re not trying to attack. We just want the system to work,” said More.
“We love South Africa. We want to sell it,” Brosou added. “But, unless this is fixed, we’re going to lose a market that has long supported the country’s high-end tourism economy.”
The Department of Home Affairs had not responded to enquiries by the time of publication.
