Outbound

Bhisham Mansukhani - Mumbai

South African dedicated visa websites on anvil

Citing a strain on mission staff and the rising number of visa applications, South Africa Tourism and the South African Consulate are set to launch a dedicated visa information website exclusively for the Indian market. Revealing the same, South African Tourism director, Lance Littlefield told ETW on the sidelines of the NTO's annual roadshow recently that in view of surging tourist numbers, and doubling of flights from 15 to 29 in just a year, have prompted the move.

Littlefield felt it was key that visa information be accessible to Indian tourists to ensure a seamless application process. "Given that 2007 is the year when we will really launch into our thrust for growth in this market, it is only logical that we anticipate and prepare a support system for the subsequent growth. By and large, the representation of human capital is not sufficient to cope with the surge in visa applications. So the main thrust will be to streamline the visa process, making it easy for the applicants to understand what they are required to do and the focus will be on enlightening all sales channels in this respect. This will complement the brick and mortar operations. Once this is consolidated, we can take things to the next level," Littlefield said. He further added that the functionality of the website still has to be worked out. With airfares on flights to South Africa almost on par with continental Europe and more so no visa fees are incurred, Littlefield felt that South Africa could now have an edge. The promotion focus, he said, will be to shift gear from emphasising on lifestyle to attractive pricing in 2007.