The Department of Home Affairs’ implementation of its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to automate the visa process has been welcomed as a move that will increase visitors to South Africa and boost this key economic sector.
So says the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa). The umbrella body says the digital solution will fast-track visas in real-time and streamline arrivals at OR Tambo and Cape Town International airports.
“The introduction of the ETA is a bold and visionary step that will transform how international visitors experience South Africa from the very first moment they engage with our country,” says Brett Tungay, Fedhasa national chairperson.
The system replaces paper-based applications with a secure digital process that uses machine learning, biometrics and facial recognition through the upgraded Electronic Movement Control System 2.0.
ETA will be rolled out incrementally, with the first application being for G20 delegates arriving in November, before expansion to tourists from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico, and then scaled for visitors across the globe, Fedhasa says.
In a statement, the Department of Home Affairs says ETA will, over time, be expanded to other visa categories, with automated entry-and-exit, based on facial recognition, to be rolled out to all ports of entry.
“Instead of long queues, paper forms and inefficiency, from now on, the first impression that tourists will get of South Africa will be when they apply online for an ETA – showcasing a country with an immigration system that is rapidly modernising, embracing innovation, and blazing a trail towards becoming a world leader in digital transformation,” it states.
Tungay adds: “By removing outdated paper-based processes and replacing them with a fast, digital, traveller-friendly platform, [home affairs minister Dr Leon] Schreiber is dismantling one of the biggest barriers to inbound tourism growth. This will undoubtedly help attract more visitors, create much-needed jobs, and buoy our economy.”
Vital sector
Tourism and its related activities contributed 8.8% to the economy, supporting 1.68 million jobs – or 10% of South Africa’s workforce – according to World Travel and Tourism Council estimates for the 2024 calendar year.
Yet, BDO South Africa notes the increase in tourists from January to July 2025, which was 14% higher than 2024, shows the country has yet to get back to pre-pandemic levels.
“We're just 33 000 visitors short of our 2019 figures, but this apparent success masks deeper structural challenges that demand immediate attention,” says Lee-Anne Bac, advisory partner of tourism at BDO South Africa.
Bac adds that, with just 1.3 million overseas arrivals in the first seven months of 2025, “we're tracking 10% behind 2019 levels and 12% behind 2018 figures”.
This, Bac calculated, “translates to stark economic losses” of around R4.3 billion in direct foreign spending for the first seven months of 2025 alone. “For the full year 2024, the shortfall in overseas visitors resulted in a staggering R13.3 billion loss in foreign direct expenditure, export earnings lost to our economy when we need them most.”
Fedhasa believes the ETA will help reverse these trends, saying it will build on the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme. Implemented in February, this project has already resulted in an additional 35 000 tourists from China and India visiting South Africa, who might otherwise have been deterred by visa delays.
Tungay says the implementation of the ETA system will “make it easier to visit South Africa, attract more travellers, and create much-needed jobs”. Fedhasa thanked Schreiber and his department for supporting tourism’s economic role and providing the digital tools needed for competitiveness.
“The launch of the ETA… will boost tourism and investment, making South Africa more competitive, alleviating burdensome red tape when applying for a visa,” Investec economist Lara Hodes has said.
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