Durban — In her media statement on Wednesday, DA member of the portfolio committee on tourism Hannah Winkler said that President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address in February, confirmed that he had appointed former Department of Home Affairs director-general Mavuso Msimang to review South Africa’s visa regime.
Winkler affirmed that globally there were 49 countries that had adopted digital nomad visas and many other countries were poised to roll out the nomad visa to attract and boost tourism post-Covid.
Namibia was the first country on the continent to roll out a digital nomad visa, which permits international visitors to stay for extended periods in the country on a temporary residency visa to work remotely for an international employer.
Winkler further said that South Africa needed to position itself competitively as a preferred destination on the continent by implementing visa regime reforms that attract tourists and encourage longer stays.
“According to research, digital nomads stay for longer periods in the country than other leisure travellers, spending more money. In order to recoup the 470 000 jobs lost due to Covid, every revenue to boost tourism needs to be undertaken – and this needs to be done swiftly to remain competitive,” she said.
“I wrote to the presidency requesting that Mr Msimang include a review on the benefits of introducing a digital nomad visa.
“South Africa stands to gain much-needed revenue from a boost to tourism. By easing access to international travellers and staying ahead of emerging trends in tourism, such as the implementation of a digital nomad visa to attract ‘techpats’, South Africa will boost its attractiveness to new emerging tourism markets,” she added.
Concluding her statement, Winkler said that South Africa’s tourism potential cannot be hindered by bureaucratic stumbling blocks and short sightedness.
“Post-Covid, the world is changing and we need to be at the forefront when marketing ourselves as a preferred tourism destination. Our economy and thousands of jobs depend on it,” she concluded.
Daily News