Hanekom making headway on easing visa rules

Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom is making headway in the easing of visa regulations – including those on travelling with children – which were blamed for damaging the sector which employs 1.6m people and is seen as crucial in tackling chronic unemployment. A Business Day report says tough visa requirements imposed by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba during his first stint in the job – including the requirement of unabridged birth certificates for children under the age of 18 – were strongly criticised by the travel industry. Now Gigaba is working with Hanekom to ease the situation. The Department of Home Affairs aims to introduce e-visas this financial year and is devising systems to recognise international visas such as those for Schengen countries and the US as sufficient for tourist entry. Hanekom told Business Day after his budget speech last week that the measures would ease travel to SA, boosting numbers, especially from India and China. ‘We have also agreed to bring the requirements for travelling minors in line with the practice in the US, UK and many other countries. This will go a long way to boost family travel and to end the traumatic experience of travellers being turned away by airlines.’