South Africa Tourism issues statement on amended immigration regulations

Since 2014, the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has been working to help its members and those of the tourism to understand two regulations that are included in the Amended Immigratio

Since 2014, the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has been working to help its members and those of the tourism to understand two regulations that are included in the Amended Immigration Regulations as it pertains to travel.

The TBCSA issued a statement to address the persisting challenges that the travel and tourism industry faces with the implementation of the Amended Immigration Regulations. The specific challenges faced by the industry are with the unintended consequences of biometric data capturing for international visitors into the country and the continued requirement of unabridged birth certificates for minors under the age of 18 traveling into the country. Other pressing concerns are on the requirement for accommodation establishments to make and keep copies of the IDs of guests upon checking in. The statement reads:


TBCSA is an umbrella organization representing the voice of organized travel and tourism businesses in South Africa. We serve to contribute to a competitive, responsible and inclusive travel and tourism economy that in-turn makes a greater contribution to the broader economy of South Africa. Our members are businesses whose total contribution to GDP in 2015 reached R375,5 bn (9.4% of SA GDP); that have generated a total of R115.0bn in visitor exports; and have a total of R63.7bn in investments (7.8% of total investment) โ€“ according to the 2016 SA economic impact report by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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