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Today, the DA launched a petition urging the ministries of Tourism and Home Affairs to introduce regulations that will pave the way for the introduction of electronic visas for tourists, in order to save jobs for South Africans.
 
A study commissioned by the Tourism and Business Council of South Africa on the impact of the new immigration regulations indicates that the country may lose 270 000 international tourists and in turn lose 21 000 jobs annually due to the regulation– costing the country R9.7 billion.
 
For some time now government has defended the planned introduction of new visa regulations requiring biometric visas for visitors to South Africa.
 
Visitors to South Africa are required to apply for their visas in person which is an additional and unnecessary travel expense for those who do not live near South African embassies, consulates and visa centres - or worse, live in countries without these facilities at all.
 
Reports from China, one of South Africa’s largest tourism markets, confirmed that marketing packages relating to South African tourist destinations will come to an end by the 1 October this year due to this added difficulty.
 
This is a serious blow to South Africa’s tourism industry and will condemn many of our people to joblessness without the hope of finding new employment.
 
Tourism has been identified in the National Development Plan as a key job driver for our economy. Currently, tourism supports one in every 12 jobs in South Africa.
 
We believe the introduction of electronic visas will not only provide a real means for protecting jobs in tourism but present significant advantages by cutting turnaround times for the issuing of travel documentation, and are in fact more secure than existing permits.
 
Electronic visas have proven to be highly effective in comparable countries such as Turkey.

The DA has therefore launched this online petition for all South Africans and those abroad to register their disapproval of these destructive new regulations, and to express support for our proposal to institute electronic visas.
 
By signing the DA’s petition, the people of South Africa will send a clear message to government that South Africans want laws and regulations that create jobs for our people.

The link to the DA's petition can be found here <https://www.change.org/p/malusi-gigaba-petition-government-to-change-visa-regulations> .