In a swift move, earlier this year Namibia decided to introduce visa requirements for 31 countries, citing a lack of consistency. In June, the government announced that the new visa system will take effect from April 1, 2025. The countries on this list include 23 European countries, six Asian countries, and the United States and Canada.
As tourism is an important sector, critics of the policy say it has the potential to deter tourists and hamper Namibia’s economy. Eben de Klerk of the Economic Policy Research Institute based in Namibia, “There will be no winning. We just shot ourselves in the foot.”
But there are others who support this move and see in it an opportunity to get more revenue from the government fund and to put pressure on officials in other countries to remove visas from Namibians.
Namibia’s move has also sparked debate in other African countries, where citizens have been frustrated by the absurdly long list of visa requirements, queues at embassies and the complete humiliation of the visa application process.
South Africans have also wondered if they should follow in the footsteps of their Namibian neighbors. In my opinion, applying the same visas to foreigners would benefit our country.
South Africa is the third most popular tourist destination after Egypt and Morocco. By 2022, tourism brought the country $14bn or 3.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employed 2.5 million people. By 2023, the country has welcomed 8 million foreign visitors and is expected to reach pre-COVID levels of 10 million soon.
Tourism is undoubtedly an important enough sector in South Africa, and some may worry that the imposition of similar visas would be disastrous for it. However, the merits of this argument must be scrutinized.
Although restricting entry by forcing foreigners to apply for visas can significantly affect the number of tourists visiting a country, there is research that suggests the impact depends on the type of visa.
According to one study of the impact of visas on tourist flows, adopting “flexible visa policies, such as eVisa (blue), eTA, or visa-on-arrival” has no “significant effect on international tourism flows”.
In other words, how a country moves through visa restrictions is important. Traditional visas that require the would-be visitor to pick up a bunch of documents, go to embassies or consulates, fill out applications, wait in long lines and pay exorbitant fees are what drive tourists away. Visas on arrival and e-visas require only an online application and are cheap and will not intimidate foreigners.
And while certain types of visas may not affect tourism, there is money to be made in introducing them. Fees paid by tourists for visas can raise significant costs for public administration. For example, in the first four years after launching its e-visa program in 2014, the Indian government earned nearly $210m in revenue from fees of between $25 and $75 per visa. The fee is determined based on the nationality of the applicant, keeping in mind the visa requirements.
The introduction of pursuit-based e-visas can also help reduce the burden on government officials in processing applications for entry. In July, South Africa’s new Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber decided to extend the temporary approval of visas due to a large backlog in processing. This is clearly a program that needs a major overhaul. The introduction of an electronic system for processing not only visitors but also other types of visas could be part of the solution.
Apart from appreciating the financial and regulatory benefits of adopting a flexible visa system, there are also arguments to be made in your favor. Visa regimes around the world favor citizens of rich countries, especially Westerners. This state of affairs is an indication of the influence the West has on developing countries.
Emphasizing the principle of reconciliation is one of the ways to deal with this power imbalance on the world stage. In a country like South Africa, introducing uniform visas can serve as a tool to assert its sovereignty and demonstrate its willingness to resist foreign pressures. It is a way to ensure its place on the international stage.
As South Africans, we have a choice: to continue to allow our policies to be shaped by others, or to take control and insist on fairness and mutual respect in international dialogue.
The decision to introduce uniform visas may be seen by some as a bold move, but in reality, it is a necessary step in gaining the respect and recognition South Africa deserves. It is time we prioritize sovereignty over simplification and ensure that our nation is treated in the same way that we extend it to others.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.
Source link
