THE CEO of an SA-based company that represents a major US exporter to Africa was told this week that only in February next year could he get an appointment for a visa for a visit to the US.
South African agents are telling Travel News that the scourge of delays in visa appointments and delays in visa processing times are really hurting the business, as they dare not book tickets for their clients in case the visas are not issued in time for travel.
We hear similar stories of unconscionable delays with visas for other countries too.
Travel News would like to investigate the extent of the problem.
Countries that enjoy visa-free status for their citizens arriving in SA have a special duty under the principle of reciprocity to make sure that their own visa requirements are administered efficiently.
Help us build the Visa Barometer!
Every time you have a client who makes a visa appointment or who has received their visa, please click here: https://forms.gle/kSd9f1tFoPG4P1s48 and fill in the Google Form.
Then, in order to see the Visa Barometer so far, go here: https://datastudio.google.com/s/n9L_vKvmTag
The Visa Barometer will show agents an aggregate of how long it’s taking to get a visa for country A, country B, etc.
This is a critical area for agents. We want to hear about the good, the bad and the ugly – the worst offenders and those countries whose visa regimes are working satisfactorily so we can share this information with other agents and, through them, to the travelling public.
Travel News will be using the information to ask questions of local consulates and, together with overseas media and tourism associations, draw attention to how the situation in South Africa is hurting the recovery of tourism in their countries.
