Govt to scrap unabridged birth certificates in favour of e-Visa system for tourists

The City of Cape Town has welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that government will implement an electronic visa system and remove the unabridged birth certificate requirement for tourists visiting the country, a victory for the tourism sector, according to the city.

This, according to the city, will provide a real means for protecting jobs in tourism, cut turnaround times for the issuing of travel documentation, and were more secure than existing permits.

It said in a statement: “We need to streamline tourist facilitation to our country and especially our cities to make it easier for travellers to select South Africa as a destination of choice when it comes to travel and trade. Ultimately there is a need to cut the red tape and roll out the red carpet.

“The use of technology in tourism is well established. For example, where electronic visas have been implemented, they have proven to be extremely effective, so it makes perfect sense to implement it here, given the recent visa debacle in South Africa.

“I am proud to say that Cape Town is one of South Africa’s leading tourism destinations. This is as a result of our focused approach to growing tourism through facilitating a flow of private sector investment in the hospitality sector and implementing strategies to attract more flight connectivity with countries around the world. The tourism industry supports more than 300,000 jobs and contributes about R40 billion to the regional economy.”

Government’s move will promote tourism, grow tourism spend, and develop the economy to create more employment, added the city.

“If we implement e-Visas and scrap the unabridged birth certificate, we will promote tourism, grow tourism spend and develop the economy to create more employment.”

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde.)

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