South African visas more popular as tourism increases
September 16 2009 by Matt Jones
Word Cup to increase South African visas
A survey by credit card firm Visa has found that tourism is growing around the world, helping to boost the global economy. The survey found that tourism to South Africa is particularly prevalent.
Charles Niehaus, the general manager of Visa in South Africa, says that there was a 5.5 per cent increase in arrivals to South Africa in 2008. He predicts that South African immigration will to contine to see a rise in visitors, despite the down turn in the economy.
The citizens of some nations need a South African visa to travel to the country, while people visiting from countries like the UK and the US do not require a visa to holiday in South Africa, but do need to apply for a work visa in order to work in South Africa or stay for a long period of time.
Spending among people visiting South Africa has also increased, boosting the country’s economy. Tourist spending on Visa credit cards in South Africa increased 4 per cent in 2008 to R13.3 billion (£1.1 billion).
The Visa report stated that UK holidaymakers, “continue to be by far the largest contributors to tourism revenues in South Africa".
The report, which was the result of a survey of travellers in 11 different countries, also found that Chinese visitors were the most likely to visit South Africa for the first time in the coming year, followed by Brazilians and Australians. Around 14 per cent of these said they would be visiting for the World Cup in 2010.
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