While much has been made about the impact of Airbnb on South Africa’s traditional accommodation sector, the biggest thing holding back local tourism is the struggles overseas visitors face to get a visa to visit the country.
Among the proposals under consideration is to give the Minister of Tourism the power to determine certain thresholds for Airbnb locations in South Africa, including limits on how many nights a customer can book at one location. “As these platforms are now a substantial part of the tourism sector, we support a balanced approach that protects consumers while encouraging entrepreneurship,” FEDHASA said.
“South Africa currently lags shamefully behind other nations due to our cumbersome, nonsensical visa processes, while countries with efficient and hospitable visa reform strategies vastly outperform us in attracting tourists,” Anderson said.