Imposing a reciprocal visa regime will not damage tourism if done properly. In fact, it could benefit South Africa economically and politically.
In an abrupt move, earlier this year Namibia decided to introduce visa requirements for 31 countries, citing the lack of reciprocity. In June, the government announced the new visa regime will be effective starting April 1, 2025. The countries on the list include 23 European states, six Asian states, and the United States and Canada.
With tourism being a vital sector, critics of this policy argue that it has the potential to deter tourists and stunt the Namibian economy. Eben de Klerk of the Namibian-based Economic Policy Research Association decried, “There cannot be a win. We just shot ourselves in the foot.”
But there are others who also support the move and see in it an opportunity to secure another stream of revenue for the state coffers and to put diplomatic pressure on other countries to lift visas for Namibians.
Namibia’s move also provoked a debate in other African countries, where citizens have been increasingly frustrated by absurdly long lists of visa requirements, exhausting queuing at embassies and the overall humiliation of the visa application process.
South Africans, too, have wondered whether they should follow in the footsteps of their Namibian neighbours. In my view, imposing reciprocal visas on foreigners would benefit our country.
South Africa is the third most popular African destination for tourists after Egypt and Morocco. In 2022, tourism brought the country some $14bn or 3.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employed 2.5 million people. In 2023, the country welcomed 8 million foreign visitors and is expected to achieve pre-COVID levels of 10 million soon.
Tourism is undoubtedly an important enough sector for South Africa, and some may worry that the imposition of reciprocal visas would be catastrophic for it. Yet the validity of this argument should be scrutinised.
While imposing restrictions on entry by forcing foreigners to apply for visas can significantly affect the number of tourists who visit a country, there is research that suggests that the impact depends on the type of visa.
According to one study of the effect of visas on tourist flows, adopting “more flexible visa policies, such as eVisa (blue), eTA, or visa-on-arrival” does not have “any significant effect on international tourism flows”.
In other words, how a country goes about applying visa restrictions matters. Traditional visas that require a prospective visitor to collect a myriad of documents, travel to embassies or consulates, fill out applications, wait in long queues and pay exuberant fees are ones that repel tourists. Visas-on-arrival and e-visas that only require an online application and are cheaper would not necessarily scare off foreigners.
South Africa is the third most popular African destination for tourists after Egypt and Morocco. In 2022, tourism brought the country some $14bn or 3.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employed 2.5 million people. In 2023, the country welcomed 8 million foreign visitors and is expected to achieve pre-COVID levels of 10 million soon.
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Tourism is undoubtedly an important enough sector for South Africa, and some may worry that the imposition of reciprocal visas would be catastrophic for it. Yet the validity of this argument should be scrutinised.
While imposing restrictions on entry by forcing foreigners to apply for visas can significantly affect the number of tourists who visit a country, there is research that suggests that the impact depends on the type of visa.
According to one study of the effect of visas on tourist flows, adopting “more flexible visa policies, such as eVisa (blue), eTA, or visa-on-arrival” does not have “any significant effect on international tourism flows”.
In other words, how a country goes about applying visa restrictions matters. Traditional visas that require a prospective visitor to collect a myriad of documents, travel to embassies or consulates, fill out applications, wait in long queues and pay exuberant fees are ones that repel tourists. Visas-on-arrival and e-visas that only require an online application and are cheaper would not necessarily scare off foreigners.
The decision to introduce reciprocal visas may be seen by some as a bold move, but in reality, it is a necessary step towards achieving the respect and recognition that South Africa deserves. It is time to prioritise sovereignty over convenience and ensure that our nation is treated with the same regard that we extend to others.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
- Lindani ZunguFounder of Voices of MzansiLindani Zungu, a political science graduate from New York University, is the founder and leader of Voices of Mzansi.
