The results of our latest poll reveal industry scepticism about South Africa’s new electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system achieving its stated target of attracting one million extra arrivals to the country annually.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber revealed details of the phased roll-out of the ETA system at the TBCSA Leadership Conference in September. From mid-October, the system will open to G20 delegates from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico. It will be rolled out to all other visa-requiring markets from 2026.
Although Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said the ETA will add at least one million international arrivals every year, respondents to our poll are not convinced. More than half (53%) said they do not believe the ETA will enable South Africa to achieve this target while 28% believe it will. The remaining 19% are “unsure”.
What should South Africa focus on to grow tourism?
A recent report from advisory firm BDO highlights several challenges that continue to hamper South Africa’s competitiveness as a destination.
The Tourism Trends report – examining key trends in South Africa between January and July this year – suggests that, based on current performance, the country is “not appropriately structured” to cope with more aggressive competition from previously unrecognised countries and regions.
The report makes several recommendations for the country to correct this. These include better destination marketing, improved air access, stronger efforts to combat crime and infrastructure challenges, the development of innovative and unique tourism products and positioning tourism at the centre of the economy.
Which of these aspects should be prioritised?
Our poll question this week is:
