- – working towards a single visa for tourists and promoting tourism as bloc
In a drive to boost tourism into the regional bloc, Ministers of Tourism in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) are collaboratively working towards a single visa for tourists from abroad.
Botswana’s Minister of Environment and Tourism Wynter Mmolotsi disclosed this development last Friday during the inaugural Hospitality Expo held in Francistown.
According to him, the countries are also working on promoting tourism as bloc shifting from the current individual efforts.
Mmolotsi revealed that these are some of the issues we discussed at the just ended Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) summit held in Vic Falls this week.
“This is one of the issues we are working on- the introduction of the Southern Africa visa. This as we have realised that it is becoming difficult for tourists from other countries to take a visa for Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and other countries.”
He added, “therefore, this is why we are exploring the idea of having a SADC visa, so that when one wants to come to Southern Africa, they use one visa. This is one of the collaborations we are working on,” elaborated Minister Mmolotsi.
Still on promoting regional tourism, Mmolotsi said his counterparts in SADC are working on promoting tourism as bloc.
“As compared to promoting and attracting tourists as individual countries. In essence, we will be saying to the target market, this is the experience one will have while in Botswana, Zimbabwe and other countries in the region. This is particularly when we go out market in Europe,” he stressed.
Collective promotion and showcasing of SADC as a region and single visa to access the 16 countries in the bloc, is expected to be helpful and to lure international tourists to the region.
“Giving an option to tourists who want a total experience offered in the countries in this region. We ned to tackle the matters in order to make the region more attractive and conducive to tourists” continued Minister Mmolotsi.
On the inaugural Hospitality Expo, the Minister applauded Yebo Travel and Tours for putting up an impressive event. He urged the organisers to make the Expo an annual event to bring stakeholders in the hospitality industry together and explore ways to collaborate, grow and better the tourism industry.
