While a significant proportion of respondents to Tourism Update’s latest poll indicated that South Africa’s airport immigration procedures were on a par with global standards, the majority still believe that improvement is needed to get the country up to scratch.
A video posted on WhatsApp by a prominent tourism industry stakeholder last week, showing long queues at Cape Town International Airport, stimulated debate among inbound operators on the efficiency of immigration services in South Africa.
In our latest poll, 39% of respondents said the efficiency of immigration procedures was on a par with major international airports globally. Exactly half said it was below global benchmarks, and 11% said South Africa was more efficient than other major international airports.
Are you targeting the Chinese market?
With Chinese traveller confidence growing, the market is presenting Africa with an opportunity to start achieving the ambitious targets it has set for arrivals from the Asian giant.
However, many challenges stand in the way of attracting Chinese tourists, ranging from unique cultural needs, to unwieldy visa processes and lack of flights. In this context, is it worth the time and effort for inbound operators to secure more Chinese travellers? Or do more-established source markets hold the keys to growth in tourism numbers?
Our poll question this week is:
