Air travel challenges and visa hurdles throttle tourism

Air travel challenges and visa difficulties are choking foreign tourist numbers, while local travel is sluggish as people battle to make ends meet – all sending tourism in a nosedive.

The department of home affairs has recently been under scrutiny, following bottlenecks in the issuing of visas, while insufficient air flight capacity and high airfares could potentially hobble the sector.

International tourism bounced back to pre-pandemic levels

According to the World Tourism Organisation, international tourism had bounced back to 90% of pre-pandemic levels last year, underscoring the significance of the industry to SA’s economic revival.

However, air transport capacity remained constrained compared to pre-pandemic levels, impacting tourism across southern Africa.

Natalia Rosa, project lead of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Business Council Tourism Alliance, said the root causes were multifaceted and interconnected.

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It stemmed from both internal and external factors such as fragmented regulations, visa restrictions, limited collaborations, high taxes and fees and route adjustments.

“Inconsistent regulations and bilateral agreements across SADC countries create complexity and unnecessary costs for airlines,” she said.

“Greater harmonisation and public-private collaboration are needed to streamline cross-border air connectivity. Onerous visa requirements also hinder tourism, business travel and workforce mobility within SADC.”

Need long-haul flights

Adele Mackenzie, editor of Tourism Update, said: “We need the long-haul flights”.

“The flights that come directly to SA alleviate the stress on roads going to Zimbabwe or Botswana.

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“So we need to use those flights. A lot of flights were cancelled during lockdown, and we haven’t them back yet.”

“That is obviously affecting the airfares. Because the demand is very high, airlines can charge high fares.”

She said that airlift was crucial to driving international, regional and domestic trade.

“When BA Comair left the domestic market, domestic airlift capacity dropped by 40%. This created a huge imbalance with a high demand and low supply – driving airfares up dramatically.

“There have since been other carriers entering the market [SAA is back, and Lift Airlines began operating] and this has evened out the domestic capacity, so airfares have stabilised.

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“The vastness of Africa – and its notoriously bad roads – make flying the best option. The high airfares are a major barrier to regional travellers,” Mackenzie said.

More open visa regime boost regional economic activity

Rosa said a more open visa regime would boost regional economic activity. “Siloed operations between aviation, tourism and other sectors hamper effective route development and a unified tourism product offering. Stronger partnerships are needed.”

She also noted that a lack of convenient and affordable air access limited the potential of destinations to attract international visitors.

“Overcoming these challenges will require a multi-stakeholder effort, with governments, airlines, airports, tourism authorities and other role players working in concert,” Rosa said.

“Key priorities include expediting skills development and staffing pipelines to alleviate personnel shortages and pursuing more harmonised regulations,” she said.

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Earlier this month, Discovery Bank and Visa pinpointed two primary factors contributing to notable spikes in airfare costs during 2022: “soaring aviation fuel prices and diminished flight availability”.

In that year, the cost of jet fuel surged by 82%, while domestic flight capacity plummeted by 41% almost immediately following the cessation of operations by Kulula and Comair.

The combination of decreased seat availability, escalating fuel prices and heightened travel demand has led to South Africans paying between 30% and 55% more for domestic flights than they did in 2019.

Early booking during peak seasons

Euan McNeil, managing director of Flight Centre Travel Group South Africa, advised early booking, especially during peak seasons.

“The travel industry is still finding its rhythm, leading to reduced flight options and fluctuating fares. It’s a landscape that generously rewards planning,” McNeil said.