The Department of Home Affairs announced on Friday that it had decided to go ahead with the implementation of new regulations governing travel by all people under 18 and the introduction of biometric visas on October 1.
Minister, Malusi Gigaba has been unmoved by the cancellations and alarm in the industry. The move is expected to result in the virtual death of sectors in tourism such as international conferences and group travel.
South Africa will also get bad press in visa-free countries when tourists with minors arrive for flights with only their passports, as they would expect with a visa-free destination, and are denied boarding.
In an editorial in the August issue of SA Tourism Update, Malusi is called the Tourism Terminator.
Read more about why and what the travel and tourism sector here can do to try and survive in the latest Tourism Update.
