NAMIBIA has scrapped its
business visa requirement for
South African passport holders,
which is expected to revive corporate
travel to the country.
Business travel took a knock
earlier this year after the Namibian
government started clamping down
on visitors who required a business
visa, actively interviewing travellers
entering the country (see TNW March
16). At the same time, government
introduced a ‘conference and
meetings’ visa.
Both visa requirements have now
fallen away. Travellers entering
Namibia for business purposes
were now exempt from visas, the
Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs
and Immigration told TNW.
Namibia Tourism’s area manager
for Cape Town, Cristina Cicognani,
says that after recognising the
requirements were creating
unnecessary complexities, the
Namibian authorities reacted quickly
to do away with them. She adds
that a work visa is still required for
persons travelling to Namibia to work
within the country.
Industry authorities are
hopeful that this decision
will restore the number of
corporate travellers headed
to Namibia, after corporate
travel took a knock as a
result of the meetings and
conference visa requirement.
Michéll Fourie, sales
and marketing manager
of Air Namibia for South
Africa, says the airline
received numerous calls and
cancellations from clients
who had purchased air
tickets but had their visas
declined.
Sometimes clients just
want to get into a country,
have a meeting and be out
the same day, agrees Edward
Bongs Mtuyedwa, senior
corporate travel consultant
of Executrav. “This new
development will definitely
make a huge difference and
can only have a positive
effect on business relations
with Namibia,” he adds.
“There was a drop in
business to Namibia,”
says Fiona Treu, managing
member of Harvey World
Travel Boksburg. “We had
corporates that still needed
to travel and therefore had
to apply for the conference
and meetings visa, but new
business deals were placed
on hold.”
