Johannesburg – The Department of Home Affairs has announced the successful conclusion of the selection process for the first set of participating companies in the ground-breaking Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS), which is aimed at boosting tourism arrivals from China and India.
“Through a joint process that involved the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Tourism, and the State Security Agency, a total of 65 tour operators from South Africa, China, and India were selected out of 141 applicants for enrolment in the programme, after a thorough inter-departmental vetting and screening process,” the department said in a statement on Monday,(13 January 2025).
“Importantly, as part of Home Affairs’ ongoing journey of digital transformation, all TTOS applications were received through a dedicated online portal.”
The department said the screening process also utilised Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure that applicants met the qualifying criteria of having at least 12 months operational experience, as well as a track record of legal compliance and cross-country collaboration.
Among the 65 selected tour companies are major industry operators, which are described by ChatGPT as follows:
- 1. Thomas Cook India: A well-established name in the travel industry, providing various travel-related services including tours, travel insurance, and more;
- 2. China International Travel Service: A major state-owned travel agency in China that offers a wide range of travel services and operates internationally, making it one of the largest travel operators in the country;
- 3. MakeMyTrip India: One of India’s leading online travel companies, offering a wide range of travel services including flight bookings, hotel reservations, and holiday packages;
- 4. Shanghai Ctrip International Travel Service: A major player in travel services in China, providing comprehensive travel solutions;
- 5. Springbok Atlas Tours and Safaris: A prominent name in South Africa specialising in tours and safaris, known for its extensive experience and service excellence;
- 6. SOTC Travel: A well-known travel company in India, offering a variety of travel packages, including group tours, customized trips, and honeymoons;
- 7. Kesari Tours: Another prominent travel operator in India, specialising in group tours and offering a wide range of itineraries both domestically and internationally; and
- 8. Beijing Caissa Sunho International Travel Service: A reputable travel agency in China that provides comprehensive travel services and packages, both for domestic and international travel.
“That TTOS was able to attract such high-profile participants within the space of a few short months, not only amounts to a significant vote of confidence in the programme, but also demonstrates the appetite for international tourists to visit beautiful South Africa,” the department said.
“This level of interest also bodes well for the repositioning of Home Affairs as an economic enabler to create economic growth and jobs, including by significantly boosting tourist arrivals from the burgeoning source markets of China and India.”
The department said TTOS was conceptualised by the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr. Leon Schreiber, in response to the fact that South Africa substantially underperforms in attracting tourism spending from China and India.
At the moment, Indian tourists account for only 3.9% of all international visitors to South Africa – and Chinese tourists for only 1.8%.
Chinese travellers made over 100 million outbound trips in 2023, with South Africa receiving only 93 000 of these arrivals.
In comparison, a country like Australia attracted over 1.4 million visitors from China in 2023.
TTOS aims to increase these numbers by leveraging the same model of collaboration and risk-sharing used by Home Affairs’ Trusted Employer Scheme (TES), which has already securely boosted the flow of high-end skills into large companies.
The department said tour operators participating in TTOS are in the process of signing agreements with Home Affairs that will hold the companies liable for any misrepresentation or transgressions committed by their customers.
“In exchange for taking on this risk, companies affiliated with TTOS will benefit from reduced red tape, including to overcome language barriers, as well as faster turnaround times when applying for visitors’ visas for their clients,” explained the department.
“In the final phase of preparatory work, the Department now turns its attention to ensuring that participating tour operators seeking to bring Chinese and Indian tourists to South Africa are able to conveniently submit visa applications through a secure and reliable platform.”
The department said once this technical work is concluded, Home Affairs looks forward to welcoming the first large groups of Chinese and Indian tourists to our shores, who would previously have been deterred only by visa red tape from spending their valuable foreign currency in South Africa.
Home Affairs Minister Dr. Schreiber, said: “The conceptualisation and rollout of TTOS within the space of a few months demonstrates the commitment of Home Affairs to delivering on the apex priority of the Government of National Unity, which is to increase economic growth and create jobs.
“I want to thank the Minister of Tourism as well as the Minister in the Presidency for their commitment to the successful rollout of this programme, which will be to the direct benefit of unemployed South Africans.
“I look forward to welcoming the first arrivals under TTOS within a matter of weeks, as a tangible demonstration of how the seventh administration is working together to deliver real reform and economic growth to create jobs.”
Minister Schreiber added: “Our foremost goal remains the total digital transformation of all Home Affairs processes, including the application, adjudication and communication of visa outcomes, which will altogether eliminate visa delays as an obstacle to tourism.
“In the interim until we reach that goal, we will use TTOS as a key programme to catalyse further growth and job creation in the South African tourism sector.”
